A Journey Beyond Time
by Reese1
Summary: An angel shows Scarlett what G.I. JOE would be like if she had never been born.
1. The Angel

Scarlett stood on the precipice of life and death.  
  
Time slowed down for her as she stood outside of her own body as it lay there on the hospital bed. Her entire torso was heavily bandaged, and she was hooked up to a respirator. Her head was bandaged a little, as well. Her arms lay motionless at her sides, and in one of them, a nurse had inserted an IV line. Electrodes taped to her chest and legs monitored the electrical activity of her heart.  
  
Only a few hours before, Flint and Snake Eyes had rushed Scarlett into the emergency room after she had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and a ruptured descending aorta. How had it all happened?  
  
Thinking to herself, Scarlett seemed to remember a car crash in the midst of a ferocious battle. The rest was a hazy blur.  
  
"So this is what it's like to be dead," Scarlett said in wonder.  
  
No one heard. She was standing right there at the head of her hospital bed. Looking down with detached curiosity, she could see her own critically injured body, fighting for life. So many people were standing with her in the room, watching her dying body but not her. They did not see or hear the true Scarlett, who could talk and move about just as much as an ordinary person. She felt no pain.  
  
"The doctors say," Hawk observed, "that Scarlett would have died within minutes if her chest wall hadn't become so compressed in the crash and allowed some clotting of blood. They were able to insert a Dacron graft into her aorta. It's a miracle she's still alive."  
  
Flint, Lady Jaye, Clutch, Cover Girl, Duke, Hawk, Jinx, Stalker, and Rock 'N Roll stood watch at Scarlett's bedside. Scarlett's eyes narrowed as she noticed Snake Eyes hanging further back, near the door, his form enshrouded in shadow.  
  
How long had it been now since Snake Eyes had last expressed his caring for her? Scarlett wondered. It had been nearly five years, now, five years since the day…  
  
The day he broke her heart.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Scarlett screamed at him. Her yells went unheard. The sounds echoed endlessly in the canyons of her mind, gradually diminishing in intensity.  
  
"I'm dying. Soon I'll be out of your life. Does that mean anything to you? Do you even care?"  
  
No response came. Scarlett freely walked about the room, but she was an apparition, invisible and untouchable. There was no sound but the steady beeping of the EKG machine registering Scarlett's faint but steady heartbeats.  
  
"I loved you, Snake Eyes. I loved you, and you broke my heart."  
  
Scarlett dropped to her knees and held her head in her hands. She felt like crying.  
  
"I'm not afraid to die. I'm ready. I want it, in fact. Just let me die in peace…"  
  
"He can't hear you, none of them can hear you," a voice said to Scarlett.  
  
Scarlett looked up. Standing before her was what appeared to be a matronly, middle aged woman with streaming blond hair. Clad in a glowing white robe, the woman held her hand out to her.  
  
"Rise, Shana," the woman said.  
  
"Who… who are you?" Scarlett said.  
  
"I'm your guardian angel."  
  
"An angel? Is this heaven? What's going on?"  
  
"No, you're not in heaven. You're still alive, as you can see."  
  
"I don't believe this," Scarlett said skeptically. The angel folded her arms and looked at her, waiting patiently.  
  
"Okay, so let's say you're my angel. Have you got a name?" Scarlett asked.  
  
"My name is Clara."  
  
"I was never sure angels even existed. I… I doubted…" Scarlett said, feeling a little guilty. She had, after all, been brought up as a Catholic.  
  
"Shana," Clara said, "right now you're trying to decide. You're trying to decide whether you want to live or die. Right now, you feel like you have nothing to live for. You feel empty and heart broken. You feel like your whole life up to now has been pointless. You have no sense of purpose. You feel a sense of patriotic duty, but the fire in your soul is gone."  
  
"Wow, that's just brilliant, doctor," Scarlett said sarcastically. Just what she needed: an angel to psychoanalyze her.  
  
"What's the point of all this? I just want to die. I've had a miserable life, all in all. In fact, I wish I'd never been born."  
  
"Oh, but you mustn't say such things," Clara admonished. After a few moments, her eyes lit up with inspiration, and she smiled. She reached out her hand.  
  
"Take my hand, Shana," Clara said, "and I'll show you some amazing things."  
  
Scarlett, frowning in hesitation, looked around the room and took a last look at each of the faces of her teammates. They were all still there, watching her injured body in silence. Some of them were even praying. Praying for her, she guessed. Looking back to Clara, Scarlett saw the angel enveloped by a radiant, white light. The angel still reached out with her hand.  
  
Scarlett took her hand and walked, as if floating on air, with her into the unknown. 


	2. In the Beginning

The white light gradually dissolved, and the scene resolved to a different hospital room, in a different place and time. Scarlett and her guardian angel stood in front of a door to a patient room on the maternity ward, and the door was slightly ajar. Scarlett gazed down the length of the hallway as a nurse wheeled a patient, presumably a new mother, to an unknown destination, the nurse not even acknowledging Scarlett's presence as she walked past.  
  
"She walked right through me," Scarlett said in surprise. The nurse had literally rolled a patient in a wheelchair straight through Scarlett's immaterial body, and Scarlett had not felt a thing.  
  
"Of course, my dear," Clara explained, "you are here to see and not be seen."  
  
"I recognize this place," Scarlett said, the light dawning on her, "this is an Atlanta hospital."  
  
Scarlett turned back to the open door. "This is the hospital where I was born."  
  
Clara gestured toward the door.  
  
"Won't you go in?" she asked.  
  
The room was faintly lit by the evening sun, which sent its last rays through an uncovered window. Scarlett adjusted her eyes and heard the sound of a baby crying. She heard a woman's voice as well, talking to the infant, in the unique way that a mother talks to her own child, gentle, loving, and childlike.  
  
"That's me?" Scarlett said, in shock. She was not prepared for the sight of herself as a newborn child, and for the sight of her mother. Her mother, Kathleen O'Hara, held the child in her arms, while her husband Patrick watched at her bedside.  
  
"Mom," Scarlett said numbly.  
  
Scarlett had no memories of her mother, who had died of a brain tumor when she was only three years old. The photographs, home made films, and stories told by Scarlett's father and older siblings constituted the entirety of Scarlett's knowledge of her mother. To hear her father tell it, as he often did, her mother was the sweetest, gentlest creature who had ever walked the earth. How many endless nights did Scarlett dream of meeting her mother and speaking with her? How often had she dreamed of interacting with her mother and of expressing her love and gratitude for her? In a way, the memories were so powerful that Scarlett felt as if she really did know her mother.  
  
Now, for the first time, Scarlett was observing her mother in flesh and blood, not as a memory or a dream, but as a real, living being.  
  
"Our little darling Shana," Kathleen said tenderly to her infant. The infant Shana looked into her mother's eyes with an innocent expression on her face.  
  
"She's beautiful… just like you are," Patrick smiled.  
  
Kathleen turned to her husband and smiled. It seemed to both parents, at that moment, that they had reached the pinnacle of happiness.  
  
"She has your eyes," Patrick said, leaning over the bed rail to kiss his beloved.  
  
The kiss lingered as the happy parents held onto their tender moment together, all while Shana lay in Kathleen's arms, watching but not comprehending.  
  
Scarlett felt her heart ache at the sight of her parents expressing their love for one another. It was a strange sight, seeing her father as a young man. Patrick O'Hara appeared a different person, younger and happier, than the man Scarlett called her father. Scarlett thought she always detected a note of bittersweet sadness in her father's eyes. She loved her father who had always cherished her as long as she could remember. As much as she longed to see her father happy, she felt a mixture of sadness and satisfaction that he had never remarried. It was not a sense of misguided loyalty or devotion to a deceased loved one as much as it was a testament to the rarity of the treasure Patrick had found in his one and only Kathleen.  
  
"Mom," Scarlett called to her mother in vain. "It's me, it's Shana!"  
  
Scarlett ran to the other side of the hospital bed. Kathleen and Patrick showed no sign of having heard Scarlett as they finally broke their kiss.  
  
"Shana," Clara said softly, "please. You know they can't hear you."  
  
"There must be a way," Scarlett cried, fighting tears, "there must be a way for me to speak to my mother. Please, can't I speak with her, just for a moment? You don't understand…"  
  
The angel stood by Scarlett and put a hand on her shoulder. Scarlett continued to look at her parents, not averting her eyes. Eventually, Patrick made ready to leave, promising to come back soon, along with their other children, Sean, Mike, Frank, and Siobhan. Scarlett sat at her mother's bedside, watching her mother, who remained blissfully unaware of her otherworldly presence.  
  
"Just let me stay with her, for a little while longer," Scarlett begged the angel. "Then we can go."  
  
Clara said nothing and remained behind Scarlett, watching her. Scarlett would stay with her mother as long as she so desired.  
  
Scarlett watched her beautiful mother sing a lullaby to the new infant, Shana. She had no memory of her mother, but now she had this image to carry with her forever. All her life, ever since the nascent days of her consciousness, Scarlett had dreamed of speaking with her mother. She had dreamed of seeing herself through her mother's eyes. Scarlett could not help wondering, what would her mother say if she could see her now? Would she approve of the woman that Scarlett had become?  
  
Would she still love her?  
  
Scarlett reached out with her hand to caress her mother's cheek. At the moment of contact, Kathleen closed her eyes serenely as if she had felt her daughter's touch from beyond the sea of time…  
  
* * *  
  
Patrick and Shana O'Hara sat together on the front porch of their suburban Atlanta home, watching dusk slowly descend over their street. It seemed that twenty-one years had evaporated in the span of one heartbeat. The seasons changed one by one, all the trials and tribulations of growing up and growing older passed, until both of them had lost track of how long they had lived together as family.  
  
"You're joining the army," Patrick repeated slowly, trying to grasp the significance of Shana's decision.  
  
Shana leaned in closer to her father, who put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"You know I raised you as best as I could, alone," Patrick said. "I tried to treat you and your siblings equally. But they didn't always see it that way."  
  
Shana nodded. Her sister Siobhan in particular resented the special treatment that Patrick seemed to have reserved for Shana.  
  
"You're the baby of the family, you always have been," Siobhan once said bitterly to Shana, when they had shared a moment alone. "Out of all of us, you are the closest to mom. That's why he loves you the most…"  
  
"I brought you up to run with the big boys," Patrick said, referring to the black belt in karate that Shana had earned at age fifteen. "I wanted everything for you. I wanted more than anything to be close to you and share common interests with you."  
  
"Your mother…" Patrick began, unable to finish.  
  
But Shana understood. All her life, her father had treasured her. Shana was Kathleen O'Hara's last gift to her husband, and so Patrick had never stopped seeing her as just that, a gift. She remembered the many times that her father had told her what it had been like when Kathleen had died. The story had ingrained itself so deeply within her that it seemed as if Patrick's memory had been her own.  
  
"Ashes to ash, dust to dust…" the priest intoned solemnly… The sunny afternoon sky belied the sorrow of the occasion. The crowd of mourners gathered together in the cemetery, which to Patrick was so ironically verdant and full of life… And Patrick could not take it any more. He covered his face to stifle his sobs, which sounded out loudly, all the same…  
  
"Not fair," he said, "oh God, not fair!"  
  
Around him, the family members watched him silently… but he felt a gentle tug on the edge of his coat. Looking down, Patrick saw little Shana, innocent and not comprehending. Shana had not been walking for long, and she had yet to say a word. Her eyes gazed at him questioningly. In Shana's large, round, glossy eyes, Patrick saw for a moment the soul of his beloved. Then Shana's lips quivered hesitantly.  
  
"D-d-daddy…" little Shana said softly.  
  
Sitting on the porch, Patrick smiled at the memory of Shana's very first words.  
  
"I wish I could know I was doing the right thing," Shana said. "It just feels the right thing to do, but what if I turn out to be wrong?"  
  
"You don't know what kind of people you'll meet when you join the service," Patrick said. "Your life will change in amazing ways you never imagined."  
  
They were both silent for a time.  
  
"Promise me you'll take care of yourself," Patrick said. "Don't do something crazy, okay? I don't want to lose you."  
  
"I will, I promise."  
  
Shana kissed her father on the cheek.  
  
"I love you, dad."  
  
Scarlett and Clara watched this scene from a spot on the porch. Scarlett turned to the angel.  
  
"Why are you showing me this?"  
  
"To show you the ways you affected the lives of those closest to you," Clara said.  
  
Clara smiled, gesturing toward the street, and Scarlett followed her as they walked away from the porch of Scarlett's house.  
  
"This is only the beginning," Clara said. 


	3. Snake Eyes

"Hey gorgeous, you got a name?"  
  
Dressed in his field uniform and characteristically unshaven, with oily slick hair, the motor vehicle operator known as Clutch grinned cheerfully at Scarlett.  
  
Ten other G.I. JOE candidates stood with Clutch, forming a half circle around Scarlett. All of the original thirteen JOE team members were present except for Colonel Hawk.  
  
"Call me Scarlett," Scarlett said, not liking the openly disrespectful tone of Clutch's voice and attitude. Clutch eyed Scarlett up and down, nodding appreciatively at her attractive figure. Scarlett ignored him and turned her attention to the other JOE candidates. She noted Clutch and Steeler standing together and decided they were both chauvinistic pigs. Flash, Grunt, Short Fuze, Zap, and Rock 'N Roll stood in place, silently admiring her appearance but clearly not taking her seriously as a fighter. At least not yet, Scarlett reassured herself. Breaker popped a wad of bubblegum into his mouth and began chewing and popping bubbles with aloof indifference. Stalker and Snake Eyes gazed at Scarlett with respectful silence, although both of them betrayed on their faces a bit of amusement at the situation. As a whole, the JOE candidates' attitude toward Scarlett was no surprise to this woman who had experienced similar situations in the past. Men were so quick to take one look at her pretty outward appearance and underestimate her true ability. In an earlier day, their disrespect would have pissed her off. But now she was confident in her skills and was certain that she could take on every last one of them.  
  
"Oh, how could I possibly forget this day," the Scarlett from the future said as she observed the scene with the angel, Clara. "My first day in G.I. JOE…"  
  
"I'm a counter-intelligence officer, and I happen to know a little martial arts," the younger Scarlett said, addressing the gathered team.  
  
"Hah! Check it out, Steeler, this chick is going to teach us men how to fight!" Clutch said, laughing.  
  
"What are you going to do, honey," Steeler said disdainfully, "teach us how to bitch slap the bad guys?"  
  
"My job is to run you boys through a refresher course in hand to hand combat," Scarlett said.  
  
She pointed to Steeler. With a playful voice, she taunted him: "Hey there, Steeler. Come over here so I can bitch slap you."  
  
Moments later, Steeler was on the floor, having been thrown by Scarlett with relative ease. Steeler groaned and said, "Oh Jesus… Someone answer that phone…"  
  
"Whoa, baby!" Clutch hooted. "Very impressive, but could you do that again on someone more difficult? We all know Steeler is a pussy. My mom could beat him with her hands tied behind her back."  
  
Holding his head in his hand, Steeler glared at Clutch but was too disoriented and humiliated to say anything in retort.  
  
"Fine," Scarlett said confidently. She pointed to Snake Eyes. "Okay, you're next. Throw me a punch as hard as you can."  
  
"Swat her one for Steeler, pal!" Clutch yelled. "Ha, ha!"  
  
Snake Eyes approached her calmly.  
  
How come he's so quiet, Scarlett thought to herself as they looked into each other's eyes for the first time.  
  
Snake Eyes threw an awkward, phony punch that weakly struck her face, and Scarlett immediately grabbed his arm, flipped him over, and hurled him several yards to land on the mat.  
  
As Snake Eyes lay on the ground, blinking dumbly and with no outward display of emotion, Scarlett turned to look at him. They eyed each other as Snake Eyes walked back to rejoin the rest of the JOE candidates. From the moment she had sent him hurtling through the air, she knew he had allowed her to throw him. Snake Eyes was a far better fighter than he had let on, and he could have beaten her easily. Why had he allowed her to win?  
  
He did it to save her pride, Scarlett realized. He was so good that he had nothing left to prove.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that day, Scarlett caught up to Snake Eyes as he was leaving the base.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett called. Snake Eyes turned around to face her. They were both dressed in their civvies.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Snake Eyes said, "I guess I was just going for a walk. Maybe get some food."  
  
He was so quiet and reserved. His outward demeanor was cold and introverted, but his eyes were gentle. Snake Eyes was a mystery to Scarlett, and Scarlett was intrigued. Who was this man who was so skilled in the martial arts, yet so unassuming and unpretentious? What kind of a person was he really? What kind of a life had he led until now?  
  
They stood there looking at each other for a moment in silence. Snake Eyes fidgeted a little and grew visibly uncomfortable.  
  
After a full minute, Snake Eyes shrugged and turned to go on his way.  
  
Scarlett frowned. What's the matter with this guy? Doesn't he like people?  
  
Before Snake Eyes could take a step, Scarlett reached out and gently took hold of his wrist, causing him to freeze in his tracks. This Snake Eyes character was so withdrawn, she thought to herself. She had not seen him socializing or hanging out with the other JOE teammates, with the possible exception of Stalker. He seemed very lonely. Maybe, Scarlett considered, he would not be so lonely if he could find someone to share his thoughts and feelings with.  
  
Perhaps she could be that someone. Scarlett had always been one to reach out to those who needed her. She felt she had so little in common with the other JOE team members thus far, but she knew right off the bat that she and Snake Eyes had at least one thing in common… their skill as martial artists. It was a connection she could latch onto and see where it would lead. She truly wanted the two of them to be friends.  
  
A red flush appeared on Snake Eyes' cheeks.  
  
"Wait," Scarlett said. "You didn't fool me today, Snake Eyes. I know you could have beaten me during that training session, but you let me win."  
  
Snake Eyes arched an eyebrow in surprise, as if to ask, "Really?"  
  
"Why?" Scarlett said.  
  
"I wanted to help you."  
  
"Help me?" Now it was Scarlett's turn to be surprised.  
  
"Help you win the respect of the others."  
  
"Why would you want to help me? We never even met before."  
  
Snake Eyes said nothing, only offering a sheepish smile.  
  
"Well," he said finally, "you seem to be a very nice lady. That's all."  
  
Scarlett smiled and took his arm. She was touched by his simple and genuine manner, and she sensed a kind and gentle soul within him.  
  
"Wanna go into town for dinner? I'm starved," Scarlett said invitingly.  
  
"Sure," Snake Eyes said as they walked together toward the train station that would take them to the ferry.  
  
"I'd like that," Snake Eyes said.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett fired a second arrow straight into the cardboard target's heart. She was alone in the target practice room, polishing her crossbow marksmanship.  
  
Hearing a whistling sound, Scarlett turned and saw Clutch saunter into her target practice space. Clutch leaned on the wall next to Scarlett.  
  
"How do you do, Scarlett?"  
  
Scarlett paused as she aimed her crossbow, keeping her eyes on the target.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Nah, just wanted to pay a visit to my favorite southern babe," Clutch said with a grin.  
  
"Can't you go bother someone else?"  
  
"I could, but it's so more fun to bother you, honey," Clutch said.  
  
Scarlett fired an arrow straight into the target's crotch. Clutch winced as he watched on the side.  
  
"Ooh, would you actually do that in a real combat situation? Say we're in a battle and a bad guy comes gunning for you. You would seriously shoot him in the nuts?"  
  
"Only if that bad guy happened to be you," Scarlett said with a smile, drawing another nervous grimace from Clutch.  
  
"Oh, I see how it is now," Clutch said. He looked around and noticed the room was empty except for the two of them. "Say, where is Snake Eyes?"  
  
Scarlett put down her crossbow and turned to face him.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you spend all your down time with him. I figured you two had been surgically joined at the hip."  
  
"What's the matter, Clutchy boy? Do I detect a note of jealousy? Hmmm?"  
  
Clutch gave a good-natured shrug.  
  
"I just want to know what do you see in that guy. He's good at his job, but he's cold as ice. He gives me the willies. I just don't understand what a sweetie like you is doing with a cold-hearted guy like him. I mean, come on. What has he got that I ain't got? Level with me, here. What do you think—don't I have pretty good 'chick magnet' potential?"  
  
"I don't think you want to know the answer to that."  
  
"Sure I do. I can take whatever you dish out. Lay it on me, baby."  
  
"First of all, I'm not your baby. Nor am I your sweetie, your honey bunny, or your chicky dee. I'm a woman, and my code name is Scarlett. For your information, Snake Eyes happens to be a very kind and sensitive human being. He's not a complete prick like you are. You don't respect me and you treat me like crap. If we weren't forced to work with each other every day, I'd have kicked your sorry, chauvinist ass a long time ago."  
  
Scarlett smiled and walked off. Clutch stared at Scarlett in shock.  
  
"Aw, come on, Scarlett," he called after her. "Don't hold back. Tell me what you REALLY think!"  
  
* * *  
  
Several months later, the fateful mission across the desert sands took place. Everything had gone straight to hell, and the chopper, which carried Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Rock 'N Roll, and Grunt was now caught in a spin. Rock 'N Roll and Grunt managed to jump clear to safety once the chopper had sunk to a low enough altitude, but Snake Eyes refused to leave until he had saved Scarlett.  
  
Scarlett was trapped by the opposite door, which had slammed shut on her web gear.  
  
"Leave me, that's an order!"  
  
But Snake Eyes would not listen. He scrambled to the other side. He held his M16 with one hand and fumbled for his combat knife with the other. Snake Eyes lost his balance for a moment and was forced to grab hold of the door as the chopper continued its nightmarish spin.  
  
Snake Eyes was seeing his sister again, and somehow, Scarlett could tell what was going through his mind. She had not forgotten the story Snake Eyes had told her while on the ferry, the story of the car crash, which killed his entire family on the day he had come home from the war. In Scarlett's place, there now stood Snake Eyes' twin sister Terry, who had been killed in the car crash that changed everything. Terry was so young and beautiful. Her whole life lay ahead of her—she was getting married. A single thought penetrated his mind again and again.  
  
I failed to protect you.  
  
Not this time, a voice within Snake Eyes screamed against the madness of the moment. I won't fail you this time, my sweet sister.  
  
"Snake Eyes, the other chopper!"  
  
The two of them looked out the plexiglass window and saw the other chopper drawing dangerously near; collision was imminent.  
  
I won't leave you to die.  
  
I won't leave you until you are safe…  
  
…even if it means sacrificing my own life.  
  
My life is nothing without you.  
  
For a split second, Scarlett watched in horror as the jet of flame tore through the plexiglass window and lit up Snake Eyes' head "like a boxcar of Roman candles…"  
  
The pain was enormous, but Snake Eyes shut it out. He disconnected it. The voice within him continued to speak, driving him on with an automatic rhythm.  
  
I can't open my eyes, but I can still hear and feel you. You haven't left me, and I have not left you. I will be whatever you need me to be for you… your shelter and your guardian.  
  
I won't lose you this time. I will be the brother I always should have been.  
  
Snake Eyes finally managed to gather his concentration and, in a last effort, cut through the straps that bound Scarlett to the door. As the chopper hit the desert floor and Snake Eyes pulled Scarlett to the ground, trying to keep her from being knocked around by the force of the crash, he heard Terry's voice within his mind…  
  
Surely, my brother, with you to keep me safe, I can live forever…  
  
Scarlett and the angel watched the scene in the desert. Out of the burning wreckage of the chopper, Snake Eyes emerged, bearing an unconscious Scarlett in his arms. Scarlett was otherwise unscathed, but Snake Eyes' head was still on fire. Rock 'N Roll and Grunt ran to Snake Eyes and dropped their weapons and gear. Their jaws dropped in shock and horror. Snake Eyes was trying to speak, but no sound came out. His neck and face were seared by third degree burns.  
  
Scarlett was seeing this for the first time. She had known what had happened after she had gone unconscious, thanks to Rock 'N Roll and Grunt. But now she was able to witness for the first time what had actually transpired. Scarlett walked across the desert sands, stopping in front of Snake Eyes, who of course did not see her. She felt a stab of infinite pain, seeing Snake Eyes in this condition. What more proof did she need?  
  
"Look at that," Scarlett said to the angel. "If I hadn't been there, none of this would have happened. Snake Eyes would have turned out fine. He would not be mute and disfigured if not for me. I ruined his life!"  
  
"Do you really believe that?" Clara asked.  
  
Meanwhile, Grunt frantically yelled into a radio transmitter.  
  
"We've got two wounded, and we need a med evac for both of them ASAP!"  
  
Snake Eyes shook his head furiously.  
  
One, his lips mouthed. Evac one.  
  
Snake Eyes looked down to the unconscious Scarlett, and the others understood.  
  
The scene now shifted back to the U.S. It was six months later, and Snake Eyes was nearly through with his hospital stay. His head was wrapped in bandages, which covered a face the plastic surgeons could not repair. Scarlett sat at his bedside and took his hand.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, with tears in her eyes. "You're here because of me. I feel I must ask your forgiveness, even while I'm thanking you for saving my life."  
  
Snake Eyes shook his head. He had not yet mastered sign language, and neither had Scarlett, but that would change very soon. Snake Eyes scribbled some notes on a pad of paper. When he was through, he handed it to Scarlett to read.  
  
It doesn't hurt half as much as it would to see you die.  
  
Scarlett clenched her fist on the paper and fell out of the chair and onto her knees. She leaned over the bed and onto Snake Eyes' chest. Snake Eyes put his arms around her.  
  
"Snake Eyes…" Scarlett said with great tenderness in her shaking voice.  
  
The older Scarlett watched along with Clara.  
  
"Are you sure you ruined his life?" Clara asked.  
  
"That's very nice of you to show me such things… but all of that… is all… all bullshit…" Scarlett said bitterly.  
  
Clara nodded at Scarlett knowingly as they journeyed to the next point in time… 


	4. Clutch

In the bowels of the G.I. JOE headquarters, Scarlett and Clutch were waiting in the staging area, killing time before their next mission against Cobra. As usual, Scarlett was not exactly enjoying herself in the company of her least favorite member of G.I. JOE.  
  
"Come on," Clutch whined, "I'm not really a prick, am I?"  
  
Scarlett simply stared at him.  
  
"You know what the problem with this outfit is?" Clutch said.  
  
"That I don't like you?" Scarlett ventured.  
  
"Well, that too. Fact is, you're the only girl on the team. It's just my luck that the only girl on the team finds me to be a rat bastard."  
  
"Oh, you poor, sweet baby," Scarlett smiled at Clutch. Neither of them noticed two people approaching them.  
  
"You know, we need a serious influx of chicks for G.I. JOE. I didn't exactly join the army to meet girls…"  
  
"Well now, that's a surprise," Scarlett said mockingly.  
  
"I just figured I might meet a few babes along the way… given that this is a time for equal rights. I'm all for women moving up in the world to take their rightful place alongside that of men. To that I say, bring it on, baby! But to have just one woman on this team is simply bullshit, know what I mean?"  
  
"You met me," Scarlett said. "Isn't that good enough for you?"  
  
"Hell no," Clutch shot back.  
  
Colonel Hawk stopped near the two JOE team members, accompanied by a young, brown-haired woman dressed in a brown jacket. Hawk introduced the woman as Cover Girl. She was joining the team as the new operator of the Wolverine tank. Cover Girl and Scarlett greeted each other with a warm smile. Clutch also smiled and winked at Cover Girl as the two of them shook hands, and Cover Girl responded by giving him the evil eye.  
  
"Nice to meet you… Cover Girl," Clutch said, liking the way the sound of her name rolled off his tongue. It was a sound he could get used to hearing from now on. Not to mention he didn't mind the sight of her hot, curvaceous body, either.  
  
"It's gonna be a real pleasure working with you," Clutch added.  
  
"Likewise," Cover Girl responded coldly. She and Hawk turned to walk in another direction.  
  
Reclining in a chair, Clutch leaned back and put his hands behind his head. He looked at Scarlett and smiled.  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
Scarlett looked at Clutch for a moment and groaned in exasperation.  
  
"God," Clutch said, looking upward toward the ceiling, "I love G.I. JOE. Thank you!"  
  
At that moment, Clutch did not attach any special importance to this meeting. Cover Girl was nothing special to him; she was just another of many attractive women that he had encountered in his lifetime. Inwardly, he hoped that Cover Girl would be impressed by what he thought of as his macho charm and manly good looks. Judging from the frigidity of the reception he had received from Cover Girl, Clutch perceived that he had again made a negative impression.  
  
Consequently, Clutch adopted a similar kind of attitude and posturing that he had maintained with Scarlett since day one. Clutch made all kinds of ridiculous, half hearted, sexist advances at every opportunity, knowing that he had nothing to lose by being himself, since he had no chance of impressing her.  
  
"So you were a model in a past life, huh?" Clutch asked Cover Girl one day when they were alone together.  
  
"Yeah, that's right, Clutch."  
  
"Ever do any nude photography?"  
  
Cover Girl blushed furiously for a moment, then composed herself. It was all she could do to keep herself from decking him.  
  
"Why, how flattering that you take such interest in my work!" she said. She refused to dignify his question, which clearly rose from lewd intentions, with a response.  
  
"Am I to take that as a positive reply?" Clutch said.  
  
Clutch fondly recalled one of his most notorious moments on a mission with Cover Girl. They were both in a car, conducting surveillance on Major Bludd. They were on the hunt for Cobra Commander. In order to prevent Major Bludd from spotting the two of them, Clutch suggested to Cover Girl that they "make out." The appalled look of absolute aversion on Cover Girl's face was priceless. Clutch enjoyed needling Cover Girl so much that he decided at that moment that she would be his new favorite JOE. Of course Scarlett had a special place in his heart and always would, but he now considered it his patriotic duty to be friendly with the beautiful Wolverine driver. That way, she would feel like she was really part of the team! In Clutch's view, "being friendly" meant annoying Cover Girl with his incessant barrage of jokes and propositions. Cover Girl only put up with Clutch because she considered his advances innocuous and figured she could kick his ass if he ever got unduly fresh with her.  
  
The new headquarters, "The Pit II," was being officially opened, and it was an occasion for celebration on the G.I. JOE team. While Roadblock and Gung- Ho toiled thanklessly on the celebratory feast, the rest of the team members, those on the decorations committee, sat around on their asses and generally killed time. Clutch and Cover Girl happened to be on the decorations committee together, and while waiting for Ripcord and Blow Torch to return from the mall with supplies, Clutch decided to pop his latest question to his new favorite target.  
  
"Hey there," Clutch said with a friendly smile as he approached Cover Girl, who was walking toward the kitchen.  
  
Cover Girl looked at Clutch and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew he was about to do something to piss her off yet again. What did he have planned this time?  
  
Clutch spotted Breaker lounging on a chair in front of a computer, reading a tech magazine.  
  
"Psst! Hey Breaker," Clutch got his pal's attention, "come here. Let's fill her in on our business proposal."  
  
"Hah," Breaker laughed, popping a wad of gum into his mouth, "yeah. She's really gonna love it."  
  
Uh oh, Cover Girl thought. She did not think she would like this one bit.  
  
Both men began walking side by side with Cover Girl.  
  
"Hey," Clutch asked Cover Girl, "you ever thought about a career in mud wrestling?"  
  
Cover Girl sneered at Clutch in incredulous disgust, "mud wrestling?"  
  
"There's a great league in the city for female mud wrestlers," Clutch explained with a straight face.  
  
"I'm listening," Cover Girl said, her voice exuding sarcasm.  
  
"Basically, all these hot looking chicks get together and mud wrestle, and guys bet money on the teams. You get some great tag team action, just like pro wrestling. Me and Breaker here were thinking that you and Scarlett could form a team to mud wrestle during off duty hours. We could be your managers. We figure you two would be great. You girls, with your army training, could wipe the floor with the opposition. You could kick some serious girly ass. Think of the money we could pull from this gig! Why, we'd all make a fortune. Ain't that right, Breaker!"  
  
With a laugh that showed he didn't really care one way or the other, but clearly enjoyed being along for the ride, Breaker nodded and smiled.  
  
"Oh, please do tell me," Cover Girl said with false enthusiasm as they approached the kitchen area, "how much money would you be getting out of this?"  
  
"We'd split it half and half," Clutch said. "So you understand how it works, right, Cover Girl?"  
  
"Sure I understand," Cover Girl said as they entered the kitchen, "you and Breaker manage Scarlett and me as a mud wrestling team, and you keep half the dough."  
  
"That's right," Clutch said eagerly, "me and Breaker have to make something for setting this up, right? So what do you think?"  
  
"Let me put it bluntly," Cover Girl said without looking at him, "drop dead, Clutch."  
  
Clutch grinned good-naturedly. "Am I to take that as a negative reply?"  
  
Clutch and Cover Girl went on like this for years. All this time, Clutch told himself that Cover Girl was nothing to him. As a matter of fact, there was currently no woman that he felt the least bit interested in, and it had been this way for many years. Years after his first meeting with Cover Girl, Clutch would one day look back on that distant memory and try to recall every minute detail of that event. Searching through his memories, Clutch would happen upon a small snippet of conversation he and Cover Girl had shared, and he held onto it, turning it over in his mind, analyzing it for its hidden meaning. As Clutch attempted to reconstruct the personality and the very soul of Cover Girl, he invariably recalled her as cold, unfriendly, and unapproachable. The lens through which he looked back on his first encounter with Cover Girl seemed to depict her against a backdrop of time that was brighter and more hopeful than the present moment.  
  
Now, years later, it was New Year's Eve, and the G.I. JOE team was celebrating together in a nice restaurant and bar. As per his custom, Clutch shared a table with his buddies Steeler, Ace, and Rock 'N Roll. Grunt had long since departed from the team, and one of Clutch's favorite pals, Breaker, had been killed in action some time past. They drank together to times gone by and hoped for better days to come.  
  
Somewhere across the room, Clutch could see Cover Girl over Rock 'N Roll's shoulder. Cover Girl was sitting at a table with Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Jinx, Hawk, and Stalker. The faint glow of the candle light on the restaurant table danced and flickered over Cover Girl's face as she smiled and laughed with the others at the table. There are moments in a man's life when he sees someone he has known for years, and he suddenly sees this person in a different light. Every day, a human being is subtly different. The external weather, the conditions of light and shadow, a person's mood… all conspire to alter that person's appearance. After years of looking at Cover Girl and seeing the same cold-hearted woman, something clicked within Clutch, and for the first time, he saw a different woman. He saw something in her, which seemed to have been revealed to him for the very first time. Or maybe it had always been there, but he had never paid close enough attention.  
  
This woman really did seem different from the woman Clutch remembered. What was she like before? Clutch searched his memories but the details were irretrievably lost. Clutch now observed the way the light danced on Cover Girl's face. Her face shimmered like the surface of a reflecting pool. Clutch noted the blush of color in her cheeks. Her voice was confident and supple, yet concealed a hint of gentleness and sweetness. Her musical voice became precious now. It was something that came from within Cover Girl's very body, and Clutch felt if he held onto the sweet sound of her voice and mentally probed its various contours and folds, he could feel and sense the body of this woman who captivated him.  
  
"You okay, Clutch? You look like something's on your mind." Rock 'N Roll said, looking concerned.  
  
Clutch was shaken from his trance, almost unwillingly. He nodded at his friends.  
  
"Sure I am, buddy," he said, grinning.  
  
Thinking back now to the first moments when he had known Cover Girl, Clutch wondered if there was a time when he could have formed a genuine friendship with her. He wondered, are there moments in our lives when we are able to directly determine whether or not such and such person becomes our friend? On the train ride through fate, was there a stop that he had missed, which the train would never make again? How could he once again reach this remote but beautiful shore?  
  
Clutch dwelled on these things as he felt himself appreciating more and more, the intrinsic beauty of Cover Girl. 


	5. Cover Girl

Cover Girl opened the door of her living quarters and stepped outside into the hall, ready for another day. As she closed the door behind her, the red rose taped to her door caught her eye.  
  
"Oh my!" Cover Girl said in surprise, her eyebrows raised, her lips curled into a thoughtful frown. It was the middle of March. That made it too late for Valentine's Day, and her birthday was months off.  
  
In Cover Girl's experience, no one had ever given her flowers except on special occasions, like her graduation from high school, or the senior prom. None of the men she had dated in the past had ever been romantic enough to give her flowers out of the blue. But this flower on her door—this was something exciting. Her life, which for the past few years had consisted of nothing but taking part in military actions against terrorists, had grown so humdrum and devoid of warmth. Now, there was suddenly an element of romantic mystery in her life, and it intrigued her.  
  
A small note was tucked in between the rose's stem and the door. Cover Girl removed the rose from the door and slowly smelled its petals, inhaling its languorous fragrance. She reached out for the note, which contained a single line:  
  
You're too beautiful.  
  
Cover Girl fingered the note thoughtfully, inspecting its writing with great care. She was trying to figure out if she could recognize the handwriting. Who would write such a thing to her? Who was this mysterious secret admirer?  
  
She stood alone in the hallway, in front of her door, holding the lovely flower close to her heart.  
  
* * *  
  
It happened unpredictably. On random days, Cover Girl would find a flower attached to the door of her quarters. The flower varied; some days it was a rose, other days it was a carnation, and on others still, it was a bright sunflower. Sometimes the flower would be accompanied by a short note praising Cover Girl in some way; but just as often, the flower came with no message. The secret charade continued for many weeks. Cover Girl never knew when she would find the flower. In the mornings, they seemed to appear on her door as if by magic.  
  
Few people knew what was going on, for Cover Girl told no one. As soon as she alighted from her room and found the flower, she would return inside and hide it away. Somehow, she would uncover the mystery of her secret admirer. It had to be someone in G.I. JOE. That she was certain of. Their headquarters' security was too restrictive for any outsiders to be involved in this clandestine endeavor. Cover Girl told only Scarlett about the flowers.  
  
When Scarlett first heard this information, she asked, "How do you feel about this?"  
  
"I don't know," Cover Girl said. "I'm very flattered, I guess. I never thought of myself as worthy of the kind of things this person has been writing about me. I really wish he would just come out and confess to me."  
  
"Could you love him back?"  
  
"It's something I haven't given much thought to," Cover Girl explained. "I've been single for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like to be in love."  
  
Cover Girl smiled wistfully.  
  
"But I'd like to find out again, what it's like…"  
  
* * *  
  
Once again, Scarlett and Clutch were alone in the target practice room. Scarlett, focused on aiming her crossbow, barely noticed someone approach behind her. After firing an arrow into the target's head, Scarlett turned around to face Clutch.  
  
Scarlett was ready to utter some kind of cutting, sarcastic remark, but something made her stop. Clutch looked different today. He was not the rude and cocky man that she had grown accustomed to over the years. This man who stood by her was quiet and contemplative. He seemed troubled by something, judging from the crease in his brow, the frown on his lips, and the way his eyes dropped to the ground, avoiding eye contact.  
  
"Hey, Scarlett," Clutch said hesitantly.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Scarlett asked.  
  
"Yeah, you could say that," Clutch said. "I've got this problem, see…"  
  
Scarlett cocked her head to one side and looked Clutch in the eye.  
  
Clutch went on, "I think I'm in love."  
  
"You?" Scarlett nearly laughed. "You're in love? With whom?"  
  
Clutch grew very uncharacteristically bashful, averting his eyes again for a moment.  
  
"With…" he stuttered, "with Cover Girl."  
  
Scarlett stared at Clutch, dumbfounded. It seemed to her that Clutch and Cover Girl were two people who were constantly at each other's throats. Clutch continually made fun of Cover Girl, and she in turn gave him the cold shoulder and an occasional derisive retort. Perhaps after all these years, Clutch had finally started to grow up. He had fallen head over heels in love with Cover Girl, and now he was afraid and confused. He needed to confide in someone. This feeling inside of him was too great to keep to himself, and Scarlett understood that he now looked to her as someone he could talk to and trust.  
  
Scarlett's eyes lit up with understanding, and a smile gradually spread across her face.  
  
* * *  
  
"How did this come about?" Scarlett inquired of Clutch as the two of them sat down to a cup of coffee in the mess hall. A few other Joes, unaware of the secret intrigue, were also hanging around in the mess hall, enjoying a brief break from their duties.  
  
"It's hard to say," Clutch said, running his fingers over the stubble on his face. "All these years Cover Girl and I have known each other, we've worked well together, but we never really got to know each other. I used to always tease her, and she would always try her best to cut me down. I guess I've realized that she means something to me. There's something about her that gets to me. I want to find out what that something is. You understand what I'm talking about, don't you?"  
  
"Yes," Scarlett said.  
  
"All I'm saying is that Cover Girl and I have never really been very close. I had something like a… a revelation. I had the thought that maybe it didn't have to be this way. Maybe things could be different between her and me. Maybe there's something I can do."  
  
"Why come to me?" Scarlett said.  
  
"The trouble is now, I don't know how to act around her," Clutch said, absentmindedly fiddling with his now empty coffee cup.  
  
"You and I ain't exactly the best of pals," Clutch began.  
  
Scarlett gave Clutch a lopsided smile, as if to let him know that whatever he had done to piss her off over the years, she had no hard feelings and forgave him. Scarlett let Clutch know that she could be a friend to him when he had no one else.  
  
"But you're friends with Cover Girl," Clutch continued. "What I need is a woman's advice. How do I do this?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"How do I get her to like me back?"  
  
"You can't get her to like you," Scarlett said. "You can't change the way someone feels about you. But that doesn't mean it's impossible that Cover Girl could grow to like you. All I'm saying is that there's only so much you can do. It's not in your hands."  
  
"What can I do?"  
  
"Just…" Scarlett said, "be interested in her. Show her that you're interested in who she is. Everything about her—her life, her dreams. You see, Clutch, all her life, she's had men love her for who she was on the outside. She's never had someone fall in love with her for who she was on the inside."  
  
Clutch listened attentively, not missing a word. It seemed all his hopes hung on the "gospel" that Scarlett had to tell him.  
  
Scarlett saw Snake Eyes approach them from the entrance. She smiled and waved at him.  
  
"Here comes Snake Eyes," Scarlett said cheerfully. "I have to go. Remember what I told you. And one more thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Make sure you don't call her a chick."  
  
Clutch blushed. "Aw, come on, give me a damn break.—"  
  
"I've always thought of you as a hopeless chauvinist," Scarlett confronted him. "You'll never win if you continue to act like one. Don't forget this. She's a woman. She's not some kind of animal, or an object. She's something special… precious… you have to treat her as such…"  
  
Snake Eyes came up to the table and put an arm around Scarlett as she got up. Scarlett smiled at Clutch, and a secret, unspoken message of parting was exchanged between them. Clutch was left at the table with his empty cup of coffee, alone in his thoughts.  
  
* * *  
  
General Hawk stood before the small group of Joes assembled before him in a conference room. Seated before him were Clutch, Cover Girl, Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Rock 'N Roll, and Snake Eyes.  
  
"We've intercepted some vital information about an agent of Cobra that the CIA has been tracking for the last decade," Hawk informed them. Everyone in the room listened intently, not saying a word. Hawk turned on a slide projector, and the image of an old man, at least in his late sixties, appeared on the screen. The picture was in black and white, and the lighting conditions were poor. The man had a lean countenance, with a pair of intense looking eyes. He had close-cropped hair and a thin mustache.  
  
"Who is this guy?" Lady Jaye said.  
  
"We don't know his real name, at least not yet," Hawk said. "He is known only by the moniker Rouge."  
  
The Joes gave Hawk a collective blank stare.  
  
"This man, Rouge, has an inside knowledge of the government's biological weapons program. He is believed to be selling secrets to Cobra. In three days, there will be a meeting between Rouge and Cobra at a house near the Hudson River in upstate New York. Stolen information and vital materials will be exchanged in return for money. What I am telling you is strictly classified. This information is not to leave this room. We'll meet again to discuss the mission I'm planning out with Flint and Duke. That is all, Joes. You are dismissed."  
  
Scarlett watched Clutch out of the corner of her eye as the Joes got up to leave the room. Clutch discreetly had his eye on Cover Girl, who was unaware of Clutch's attention. Clutch looked as if he wanted to say something to Cover Girl. Scarlett could see the momentary struggle being waged within his heart, but the weak side of him won, and Clutch said nothing, letting Cover Girl leave without so much as a word. Scarlett sighed. She would have to do something, and fast. Otherwise Cover Girl would go crazy over the constant flowers from her secret admirer, and Clutch would be eaten from within by his own loss of courage and self- confidence. Scarlett could not bear to see that happen.  
  
"Hey pal," Scarlett whispered to Snake Eyes, "can you excuse me for a while? There's something I need to do."  
  
Snake Eyes looked at her questioningly.  
  
"I can't tell you what it is, but I promise to tell you when it's over," Scarlett smiled at her love. Snake Eyes nodded in assent.  
  
It was nearly sunset outside on street level, as Clutch strolled along the sidewalk, having left the immediate premises of the G.I. JOE base. Just near the limits of the base, there was a little series of stores and shops. Among them was a humble little flower shop, which sold a small variety of beautiful flowers and house plants.  
  
From a distance, Scarlett watched Clutch go into the flower shop. For the first time, Scarlett had an inside view of Clutch's secret ritual. She had managed to follow him without being seen, a rather easy feat considering her long experience in using stealth as part of her counter-intelligence missions. In Scarlett's mind, she knew what she now had to do. She would intervene for the sake of both of her friends.  
  
Scarlett made her way to a pay phone on the other side of the street. She had a good view of Clutch inside the flower shop, deciding what flowers he would buy for Cover Girl. This time it was a red rose.  
  
"Hello?" the voice said on the other end.  
  
"Cover Girl, it's me," Scarlett said, trying to remain concealed within the phone booth.  
  
"Scarlett?"  
  
"Listen, if you want to learn who your admirer is, there is a strong likelihood that he will stop by your place tonight."  
  
"What? How do you know this?" Cover Girl said quickly and on reflex.  
  
"Just thought you'd like to know, dear. I gotta go," Scarlett said hastily as she hung up the phone and turned to walk back to the lift that would take her back into the Pit.  
  
* * *  
  
It was some hours later, in the middle of the night. Clutch did not know the exact time, nor did he really care. His mind was elsewhere, on the mystery that was Cover Girl. He thought to himself over and over, how could he penetrate this mystery and get to know the real Cover Girl? How could he learn what moved and inspired her?  
  
"I'm just an ordinary guy," he muttered to himself as he slowly and quietly shuffled down the mostly deserted corridors of the residential section of the Joe headquarters.  
  
"I'm nothing compared to her."  
  
After once again traveling the route with which he had grown so familiar over the past month, Clutch found himself standing at the door of Cover Girl's living chambers. If he could only summon up the courage to knock and say something to her, face to face… how wonderful it would be to speak with her as he had never spoken to her before. By some miracle of the heavens above, Clutch would see the girl of his dreams smile warmly at him with open arms, welcoming him and letting him in. She would share with him her one precious gift, the treasure of her love. Clutch dimly recalled the lame, silly, and mostly demeaning things he had said to Cover Girl over the years. If there was only some way that he could take it all back… if there was only some way he could start over with a clean slate. She would not then see him as a "chauvinist pig." Once Clutch had been indifferent to the appellation of "chauvinist pig;" in fact, he took pride in being the kind of manly person that he was. Had he somehow gotten it wrong?  
  
Could a man change his heart, and have it show on his face and in the new way in which he lived his life? Was it possible for him to really change, and for Cover Girl to see the change in him?  
  
As Clutch stood in front of Cover Girl's door with his head bowed in reflective thought, he barely heard a soft clicking sound. The door opened slowly, and Clutch stood frozen with surprised terror, still cradling the fresh rose in his callous-hardened hands.  
  
In the middle of the night, Clutch and Cover Girl now confronted each other face to face. 


	6. Moment of Truth

Nothing could have prepared Cover Girl for what she saw on the other side of her door. Determined to discover the identity of her admirer, Cover Girl had stayed up late. She had been sitting in a chair near the door, listening for any sounds of movement in the hall and looking for any shadows in the small space that separated the bottom of her door from the ground. Clutch was just about the last person she expected to see on the other side.  
  
"Clutch?" Cover Girl said incredulously, in a low voice so as not to disturb the neighbors down the hall.  
  
Clutch stood in front of her dumbly, fumbling for something to say.  
  
"Hi Cover Girl, I… uh…"  
  
Talk about the letdown of the century. This unkempt, abrasive-mannered, all-around repellent piece of pond scum was her admirer? What sort of horrible offense had she committed to deserve such an indignity? The more Cover Girl contemplated the stuttering buffoon standing in front of her, holding the red rose for her, the angrier she grew. It was all she could do to keep herself from shouting at him right then and there.  
  
Cover Girl looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one was observing them.  
  
"Get in," she hissed to Clutch, yanking him by the collar and shoving him into her quarters. She shut the door.  
  
"You heartless son of a bitch," Cover Girl cried as the door shut behind her. She roughly pushed him onto the chair she had been sitting in for the last few hours before the hapless admirer could even get a word in.  
  
"I get flowers on my door all month. I get notes telling me how wonderful I am. I'm left guessing who my admirer could possibly be. And after a whole month, to find out it's YOU—that it's just some jerk, who doesn't even care about me at all—playing some kind of cruel joke on me! I have feelings too, you asshole! Did you ever stop to think about that before you decided to try your mind game out on me?"  
  
Cover Girl, pacing in front of a bewildered and stunned Clutch, began to cry. She was positively mortified that she was crying in front of her hated teammate, but she couldn't help it. Her feelings were hurt. It wasn't that she was disappointed in the identity of her admirer, but she had at least thought the sentiments were genuine and heartfelt. Her heart had been touched, and now it felt like someone had poured a bucket of frigid water over it. She put her hands up to her face and attempted to curb her tears, but within seconds, her walls broke down, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"But I—but I did mean it," Clutch said, "I love you, Cover Girl. Maybe I always have and never even knew it."  
  
Cover Girl, still sobbing, looked at him. Their eyes met.  
  
"I was trying to show you how I felt about you but couldn't tell you face to face. I was afraid. I thought I'd try to soften you up a little. And the longer I went on giving you these flowers, the more afraid I was to say something."  
  
Cover Girl was again surprised. She never thought she would hear Clutch professing love for her. Cover Girl never thought of Clutch as the kind of person to have tender feelings for anyone, and she felt as if she was seeing him in a new light.  
  
"I'm sorry for all the times I teased you," Clutch said, getting up and walking toward her. Cover Girl stared at him, wide eyed, as he held the rose out for her to take. Slowly and hesitantly, Cover Girl reached a hand forward and accepted the rose. She wasn't sure what to say. So she said nothing.  
  
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, Cover Girl. I'd really like for us to be friends. When I look at you, I see a kind and gentle woman. We've been together in G.I. JOE for a long time now. I've seen how you are with your friends, like Scarlett, how nice and considerate you are with them. I just hoped things could be more like that between you and me."  
  
Clutch turned toward the door. "I hope it's not too late."  
  
Clutch's voice was beginning to falter. He needed to get out now.  
  
"Clutch," Cover Girl stopped him.  
  
"You love me?" Cover Girl said.  
  
Clutch shrugged, embarrassed, and nodded.  
  
"I don't know what to say…" Cover Girl said.  
  
"If you don't feel the same way, it's all right," Clutch said. But Cover Girl could see him bracing for disappointment. The look on his face was one of sadness.  
  
"Well, I better go," Clutch said. "Good night."  
  
Without another moment's hesitation, Clutch opened the door and made his exit, leaving Cover Girl behind in her room, alone with the flower, thinking about the things he had just said to her.  
  
* * *  
  
"He is known only by the moniker Rouge."  
  
General Hawk's words echoed through Clutch's mind as he sat alone in the conference room the next day. After asking for Hawk's permission, Clutch had obtained the grainy, ambiguous photo of this man and now inspected it. He laid it on the smooth table and got up, pacing around the room. He couldn't shake the vague, persistent feeling that he had seen this man's face before, perhaps in an earlier photograph.  
  
"Rouge, Rouge," Clutch said, turning the man's code name over and over in his mind. He was certain that his memory held the secret of this man's identity. Who was this man who had been able to erase his identity well enough to infiltrate secret government laboratories and steal information and materials?  
  
But the mind is a curious and frustrating thing, and it often refuses to yield the buried secret, no matter how desperately we pore through its dark recesses. Clutch had no clue.  
  
The door opened, and Cover Girl came into the conference room. She hesitated at the door for a moment, debating whether she should enter.  
  
"What is it?" Clutch said, not looking.  
  
"Clutch," Cover Girl said.  
  
Clutch jumped in his seat in surprise at the sound of Cover Girl's voice, and he turned around to face her.  
  
"Cover Girl?"  
  
He didn't know how to talk to her now, especially after last night's awkward episode. The cat was out of the bag now. Cover Girl knew that he loved her, and her response had not been terribly encouraging. How could he work with her again, knowing that there was a new emotional barrier that stood between them? It was an unspoken wall that pretended not to exist, but Clutch and Cover Girl knew better.  
  
"I just want to say I'm sorry for the way I acted last night," Cover Girl said in a soft tone. "I didn't think you were serious at first and I yelled at you. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay, don't be sorry," Clutch said.  
  
"It's just that we've hardly ever said anything genuinely nice to each other in ten years," Cover Girl said. "I was really shocked. Maybe I was even a little scared, too. It was all so sudden."  
  
Clutch looked at her and said nothing.  
  
"Thank you for the flowers and everything," Cover Girl smiled shyly, holding out her hand. "We can still be friends, right? It's not too late, is it?"  
  
"No," Clutch said, extending a hand. The two of them shook hands warmly. "It's not too late."  
  
Clutch did not fail to notice how soft and warm Cover Girl's hand was. It was a sensation that he wanted to absorb and store up, and he regretted that he could not hold onto Cover Girl's hand longer. He wanted to squeeze her hand in affection but forced himself to suppress the urge.  
  
"That's good," Cover Girl smiled, taking a seat next to Clutch. She joined him in contemplating the old black and white photo. "We're going to be teamed up again this time."  
  
"Really?" Clutch said in surprise. Secretly, he was pleased to be paired with Cover Girl on this upcoming mission. Just being near her and knowing she was safe, was a comfort to him. They had worked together many times over the years, and this would be no different.  
  
Tomorrow, the meeting between Rouge and Cobra would take place near the Hudson River. It was a suburban location, so only a select few Cobra agents would be there, in order to avoid drawing too much attention. It would be a small operation, and Scarlett would be in command. Clutch and Cover Girl would stake out the known exchange site, and when the time was right, they would alert Scarlett. Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll would move in from hiding, several blocks away. With any luck, they would take the Cobra agents by surprise, capture Rouge, and prevent the transfer. It would be a delicate affair.  
  
Clutch looked into the eyes of this wonderful woman, who in some ways was as much of a mystery to him as the man called Rouge.  
  
"It will be a piece of cake," he said.  
  
* * *  
  
In the darkness, Clutch and Cover Girl sat in the car across the street from the house they were assigned for surveillance.  
  
Crouched in the driver's seat, Cover Girl tried to stay as low as possible in her seat so as not to be seen. A large tree near the curb of the street offered a great deal of shade for the two Joes. It was nearly time for the appointed nighttime meeting between the mysterious spy and the Cobra agents. Cover Girl felt a butterfly in her stomach as she anticipated the event with some anxiety. She peered through her binoculars at the house. The lights were on, but the window shades were drawn. They could see nothing. As far as she could tell, Rouge was the only man home.  
  
"How do you like driving?" Clutch asked softly, with a hint of irony in his voice.  
  
Cover Girl smiled with exasperation. Usually, Clutch was the one who always drove, but on this occasion, he deferred to Cover Girl. Actually, he insisted on taking shotgun this time.  
  
"Why should I have to drive all the time? Why is it that men always do the driving? Maybe we shouldn't be so sexist, huh?" Clutch had said during their preparations back at Headquarters.  
  
"I feel so empowered now, Clutch," Cover Girl whispered sarcastically. "Thank you for being such a gentleman."  
  
Cover Girl peered down the street and saw a pair of headlights looming in the distance.  
  
"Someone's coming. It could be the Cobras we've been waiting for," she said.  
  
"Give me the binoculars," Clutch said, taking the binoculars from Cover Girl and looking at the house. The window shade pulled up, and for the first time, Clutch had a good look at the man's face.  
  
"Son of a bitch," Clutch muttered in surprise as a tremendous realization dawned on him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I know this guy," Clutch whispered, leaning in closer toward Cover Girl's side of the car.  
  
Many years ago, when Clutch had been a teenager, his grandmother had shown him a black and white photograph of a man. His name was Klaus Zimmer, and he had been a Nazi guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp.  
  
"He killed my parents and my brother," his grandmother told him. "Beat them and shot them. When he was through, he was laughing, as if it was all for sport."  
  
Lance Steinberg's grandmother put a hand on his own.  
  
"Lance," she said, "I saw it happen with my own eyes. I was there. He's a war criminal. He has never been brought to justice. I like to think that I would never wish evil on any man, but when I see this picture, sometimes I doubt my own heart. There is so much anger, so much pain..."  
  
The frail elderly woman traced a thin finger on the borders of the photograph. He looked young, but he had the same thin mustache. The same hair. The same intense pair of eyes.  
  
Clutch felt a tug on his arm, and he turned to face Cover Girl.  
  
"Who? Who is he?"  
  
"His name is Zimmer. He's an old Nazi war criminal," Clutch said, grabbing Cover Girl and trying to pull her lower in order to avoid being seen by the oncoming car. The car pulled to a stop on the opposite side of the street, not more than twenty yards away from their position under the tree.  
  
Clutch's face assumed a grim and hardened expression. Cover Girl had never seen him look so intense and passionate before.  
  
"He killed some of my family members at Auschwitz."  
  
Cover Girl was shocked. She had no idea what to say. Knowing little about Clutch's personal history, this little revelation about his family's links to the Holocaust was an eye-opener. Suddenly, this was more than just another job or mission. In Clutch's eyes, the mission had elevated itself to the status of moral duty. His heart burned with anger and hatred. He could envision his deceased grandmother looking on the scene now, watching with high expectations that he, Lance Steinberg, would complete his duty and bring a just resolution to the unclosed book on his murdered relatives.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm positive," Clutch answered evenly.  
  
Cover Girl raised herself a little and peered out the driver's side again with her binoculars. She turned her attention to the front door of the house, which now opened.  
  
The man named Klaus Zimmer appeared, his face half-concealed in shadows. Four men dressed in navy blue suits strolled up the front door.  
  
"What do we do now?" Cover Girl asked nervously.  
  
"We stick to the plan. The moment must be perfect."  
  
"I'm worried about you," Cover Girl now said as she put down the binoculars and reached down for the portable eavesdropping equipment they had brought along. She carefully maneuvered the small, long-range microphone into a suitable position protruding just a little bit out of the driver's window and angled it toward the house.  
  
"That's something new. You, worried about me. Who would have thought it," Clutch said with a laugh.  
  
"What, you don't think I care about you?"  
  
Clutch did not answer that question. He said nothing and only looked back into her eyes.  
  
"Friends are friends," Cover Girl said. "And I'm worried, as a friend, that you're too close to this."  
  
Clutch understood that Cover Girl was concerned that he would allow his personal feelings interfere with the mission at hand. He shook his head.  
  
"Come on, you know me better than that. I'm a complete pro," Clutch said as Cover Girl fumbled for an earphone, plugged it into the eavesdropping machine, and listened in on the conversation taking place inside the house.  
  
After a few moments, Cover Girl said, "Tomax and Xamot are definitely here. And two other guys I don't recognize."  
  
"Could be Crimson Guardsmen," Clutch suggested.  
  
Inside the house, Klaus Zimmer opened a briefcase for the Crimson Twins. One of them opened a briefcase of their own in turn.  
  
"Excellent," Tomax said, "We'll take it."  
  
"We trust you will find the transaction to your satisfaction," Xamot added.  
  
It was time to act. The moment was right. Cover Girl looked to Clutch and nodded, sending him the silent signal he had been waiting for. Still hunched low in the passenger seat, Clutch reached down for his walkie talkie and turned it on. As he put it to his mouth and prepared to utter the signal for Scarlett's team to move into action, he suddenly heard a loud car engine's roar.  
  
Both he and Cover Girl poked their heads above the dashboard in alarm. A second car was racing down the street at high velocity. Its headlights were turned on high. In a split second, Clutch saw an assault rifle protruding from the rear passenger window. It was aimed straight at them.  
  
"Get down!" Clutch hissed. Instinctively, he grabbed Cover Girl and yanked her down toward his side of the car, trying to bring her as low as possible and out of sight of their assailants. The listening equipment and the headphones bounced harmlessly onto the floor of their car as rapid gunfire bore down on their position.  
  
It was a driveby shooting, and Clutch and Cover Girl were the unhappy targets. The bullets pierced the windshield, then the door on Cover Girl's side of the car. The sound of gunfire, breaking glass, and tearing metal erupted in the calm night. Clutch shut his eyes, praying for the madness to end. The five-second burst of fire seemed like an eternity. In that eternity, Clutch was able to process what had just happened. Somehow, Cobra had known that the Joes would attempt a raid on the Zimmer home, and they had been prepared. The second car of Cobra troops lay in wait in ambush. It had been a setup from the very beginning.  
  
Still keeping his eyes shut, Clutch yelled into the walkie talkie, "Scarlett, we're under attack! Help us!"  
  
The second car came to a screeching halt, ten yards away, having overshot Cover Girl and Clutch. Clutch opened his eyes. He listened and heard the sound of four doors opening. Four enemies. Cover Girl was nearly lying on top of him.  
  
"Cover Girl, they're coming," Clutch whispered. He looked down and saw with horror that while he had not been hit, Cover Girl had been shot up very badly.  
  
Cover Girl moaned in pain.  
  
"Clutch…" she gasped with great effort. Clutch, trying to stay as low as possible, gently pushed Cover Girl off of him. The walkie talkie came to life again. Clutch heard Scarlett's voice.  
  
"Clutch," Scarlett said, the strain in her voice evincing the obvious fact that she and her teammates were running toward the scene as fast as they could, "talk to me!"  
  
Clutch tucked the walkie talkie into his shirt pocket and felt for the passenger door. He could see that Cover Girl was in no shape to fight. From what he could tell, Cover Girl had received bullet wounds to both of her thighs, her lower left abdomen, her left shoulder, and her head. A bullet had evidently grazed Cover Girl's left temple. One of her leg wounds was bleeding particularly badly. She needed a med evac, and soon.  
  
But the enemy was seconds away. Clutch picked up one of Cover Girl's hands and pressed it on her wounded thigh to slow down the flow of blood.  
  
"Put pressure on it," Clutch whispered fiercely in her ear, hoping that Cover Girl was in possession of enough of her mental faculties to understand his instructions.  
  
The door was open, and Clutch was ready to exit the car, holding pistol in hand. At that moment, a dark form appeared in the driver's window. It was one of the enemy soldiers. Clutch immediately squeezed off two rounds at him, dropping him to the ground in agony. He tumbled backwards out of the car on the passenger's side, just in time to see a second enemy approaching from the rear. Clutch turned on the enemy and fired at him. He did not hit him, but he did send the enemy in retreat, presumably to regroup and re- attack.  
  
Clutch had no idea what the situation was. There were three left from the second car. In addition, he had no idea what was going on inside the house, with Zimmer, Tomax, Xamot, and the other two Cobras. His position was compromised and vulnerable.  
  
"We're in deep shit here," Clutch yelled into his walkie talkie, "Get over here fast!"  
  
Moments later, Clutch heard more yells and gunfire. He heard Scarlett's voice, ordering Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to attack Clutch's assailants. Clutch moved around toward the front of the car to get a view of the situation.  
  
Scarlett and her team was situated further down the street, using parked cars and trees as cover to fire on the three Cobras from the second car, who were now forced to use their own car as cover. From Clutch's position, he immediately saw that he did not have a shot on those three Cobras. While he stopped for a moment to figure out his next move, he saw the five men emerge from the house.  
  
From across the street, Clutch immediately opened fire on the two Crimson Guardsmen, who were in the lead. Clutch dropped one of them, but the other dove to the ground and returned fire with an Uzi, forcing Clutch to duck behind his car in order to avoid getting hit by the spray of bullets. The Guardsman emptied an entire clip. When Clutch looked up, he saw the second Guardsman charging his position, firing a handgun at him. Clutch reacted instantly and fired at him simultaneously. A bullet whizzed past Clutch's head, missing by inches. But Clutch's own bullets had not missed, and the second Guardsman lay dead on the middle of the street. Meanwhile, Zimmer and the Crimson Twins were quickly getting into the first car.  
  
"Zimmer!" Clutch cried out, as if in challenge. Zimmer instinctively, almost in spite of himself, turned toward Clutch at the sound of that familiar name. And at that moment, Clutch knew the truth. This was the man who had murdered his relatives and so many other Jews at Auschwitz. This was the man who had laughed in the face of truth and right, and who had evaded justice for nearly fifty years. And as the two men, for just a split second, locked eyes, Clutch knew that he might never have this opportunity again. Was this perhaps his once in a lifetime chance to bring a small measure of peace to the angry souls of an entire generation?  
  
Zimmer quickly got into the car, the engine started, and the tires squealed in protest as the car lurched forward, then in reverse, away from the firefight that was still taking place between Scarlett's team and the three trapped Cobra soldiers. Clutch ran around to the driver's side, yanked the door open, and hurled himself into the car. One hand was on the steering wheel and the other was on the key to the ignition. Clutch hoped that the car would still start and run. Just as he was about to turn the key, he suddenly remembered the woman slumped over on the seat next to him.  
  
The choice was clear, unequivocal, and once made, irrevocable. There was not a second to lose. He could go after Zimmer and hope that Cover Girl didn't die on him. Alternatively, he could forget Zimmer, help Scarlett's team defeat the remaining troops, and try to help Cover Girl.  
  
And as the two of them looked into each other's eyes in a moment of eternal and wordless understanding, Clutch knew in his heart that his decision had been made. His choice had been made irrevocably for him by the glassy eyes looking into his own. He was her only hope at this moment, and they both knew it. Cover Girl was bleeding heavily and weakening by the minute. Cover Girl's breathing came in heavy, intermittent rasps. Her hands were soaked in her own blood. She could die if she did not receive medical attention soon. Yet something in her eyes let him know that if he chose to go after Zimmer and pursue their mission and duty, she would not blame him. Cover Girl was ready and willing to sacrifice her life, just so Clutch could complete the mission. And perhaps she was ready to do it all the more because she understood just how much it meant to him.  
  
Clutch shut his eyes and withdrew his hand from the ignition key.  
  
"I won't leave you," he said firmly and with resolution. Clutch glanced at the back seat and noted that they did not have any bandages of any kind. Without hesitation, he took off his shirt and swiftly ripped it to shreds. The one wound on her thigh was the one that called for immediate attention. Clutch removed Cover Girl's bloodied hands from the wound just long enough to wrap the strips of cloth of his shirt around her leg. The field dressing was good and true. With any luck, it would hold up long enough to save Cover Girl from bleeding to death. If he had the time or the right, he would have said a prayer.  
  
Cover Girl looked at Clutch and nodded weakly at him, as if to thank him. Clutch smiled. He turned his attention to the firefight still raging on the street.  
  
Just as Clutch got out of the car to join the fight, he heard Lady Jaye yell out, "Grenades!"  
  
Seconds later, all four of the Joes, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll hurled grenades at the Cobras hiding behind their car. Clutch hastily armed a grenade of his own and lobbed it at the enemy car for good measure. Rock 'N Roll opened up with a heavy and prolonged burst of suppressing heavy machine gun fire at the car. The explosion rocked the whole block with its tremendous loudness and violence, and Clutch saw a Cobra soldier's charred body flying toward him through the air, landing a few yards away from his car.  
  
The battle was over. Clutch looked around and saw many lights on in the houses up and down the block, and the silhouettes of alarmed residents looking on.  
  
"It's all right," he yelled, "We're members of the United States Army."  
  
Scarlett and the other Joes ran toward Clutch, who was standing just outside of the car.  
  
"Clutch!" Lady Jaye called to him, out of breath, "what happened? Are you all right? Where's Cover Girl?"  
  
The wailing of police sirens could now be heard. The authorities would be here in moments.  
  
"She's wounded. She needs to get to a hospital ASAP," Clutch informed her. Lady Jaye and Scarlett looked in through the open driver's door and saw Cover Girl on the verge of unconsciousness. They understood the situation immediately.  
  
As Scarlett walked toward the approaching police cars, her military ID in hand, Clutch climbed back into the car and sat next to Cover Girl. He took her bloodied hand in his own and squeezed her hand tightly, trying to comfort her in any way he could.  
  
"It's over now," Clutch said softly to Cover Girl, not knowing for sure if she could hear him or not, "you're going to be fine. Everything's going to be just fine…"  
  
* * *  
  
One week later, Cover Girl lay in a hospital in upstate New York, recovering from her injuries. She had survived the battle and for several days, she had been in critical condition. Now that her condition had stabilized, Cover Girl's teammates could visit her. Clutch, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, and Rock 'N Roll all came together to see how Cover Girl was doing.  
  
Although she was weakened somewhat and covered with bandages for her wounded areas, Cover Girl was able to speak with her friends. She felt so grateful to her friends for caring so much about her wellbeing, but most of all, she felt indebted to Clutch, who had sacrificed the mission along with his own personal interest, in order to save her life.  
  
"Go on, I'll meet you outside in a few minutes," Clutch said to Scarlett and the others as they turned to leave. Scarlett looked at Clutch and nodded, motioning for Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to join her outside in the hall.  
  
Clutch and Cover Girl were now alone together once again.  
  
"Thank you," Cover Girl said, "for saving my life."  
  
Clutch smiled and shrugged. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm your knight in shining armor now, ain't I?"  
  
Cover Girl smiled at Clutch's wry remark.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Cover Girl whispered.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"It's because of me that we failed our mission."  
  
"No," Clutch said, pulling up a chair to Cover Girl's bedside, "it's not your fault. Anyway, there will be other Zimmers, other briefcases to recover, in the future. There always will be. And we'll always have a chance to be there and try to stop the bad guys."  
  
Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl and locked eyes with her.  
  
"But I only had one chance to save your life. And all that stuff we think is so important—I'd give it all up if it meant having that one chance."  
  
Cover Girl smiled tenderly at him. She reached a hand toward him, and Clutch took that slender hand in his own. For a moment, they clasped hands, and Clutch closed his eyes, savoring the moment, memorizing again the feel of her hand. The warmth of this hand reminded him that life still coursed through the owner's veins, and that alone was a comfort and a consolation to him.  
  
"I'm going to be here for a while," Cover Girl said, "Come back and visit me. Will you?"  
  
She hardly needed to ask.  
  
For the next month, whenever Clutch got off duty for any extended period of time, he would drive up to the hospital where Cover Girl was staying. He always brought flowers, the same types of flowers he had surreptitiously given Cover Girl when he had been too afraid to be open with her about his feelings.  
  
Cover Girl would smile knowingly and say, "Ah, today it's roses," if Clutch happened to bring in roses that day. Clutch in turn would pretend not to notice the subtext behind Cover Girl's greeting, and the subtle way she was teasing him.  
  
Their feelings toward one another remained unspoken. In the hours that they spent alone together in that hospital room, Clutch and Cover Girl would share their lives and dreams.  
  
"So why did you join the army? I never understood how you could go from fashion modeling to driving tanks. It just sounds kinda… strange."  
  
"I guess I felt I needed some kind of new direction in my life," Cover Girl replied. "All my life, people around me have judged me on my appearance. I looked good on a magazine cover, and so everyone loved me. They all wanted a piece of me. My parents thought I was on the road to everlasting success and fame. I was going to be famous. Years down the road, people would see my face and remember the days when it was splashed on magazines and television screens all over the country. It seems that is what gives a life value, isn't it? Being famous? Doing something that people will remember you for? When you're dead and gone, that's all you have left… that's the mark you leave behind… how people remember you, if they even remember you at all. I was always afraid that I would die forgotten and unnoticed. I wanted to be noticed.  
  
"But it was an empty feeling. I reached the top of the industry. I was a cover girl, rolling in the dough, and men were falling in love with me left and right. I had gotten what I wanted, and yet it was not enough. I couldn't escape the feeling that something was missing. The success and the fame were empty pleasures. I thought I was happy. I thought I knew what happiness meant, but I was wrong. All the people who loved me—they never knew the real me. They only cared about the way I looked. They never took the time to understand me… to really listen to me with their hearts.  
  
"That's why I wanted to do something to change my life. I was somebody famous, somebody important. I wanted to turn the other way and become nobody. There's nothing better than the army to submerge your individuality. That's why I enlisted. I became anonymous. And I started to like the feeling that I could do something good for others and not just myself. I started to enjoy the feeling that I was doing something from within myself, rather than just letting my looks do the work. I had something to prove. Maybe I still do."  
  
"Something to prove?" Clutch asked.  
  
"Prove that I have something meaningful to offer to the world," Cover Girl finished.  
  
"Wow," Clutch said, smiling.  
  
"What do you mean? What is it?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, just a thought I had," Clutch said shyly.  
  
"Come on," Cover Girl said, "I just told you my life story. I think I'm entitled to a little something here."  
  
"Well, it's just this," Clutch said, looking into her luminous eyes. "I always knew there was a beautiful person under that pretty face of yours."  
  
Cover Girl smiled and felt her heart skip a beat. That was about as deep a sentiment as she was ever likely to get out of her onetime chauvinist arch nemesis, and she was touched. It was just another one of the many times that this man had touched her heart.  
  
"Clutch," Cover Girl said, gesturing for him to draw nearer to her, "come closer. I have something to tell you."  
  
As Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl, he was surprised as she put a hand behind his head and drew his face toward her own. Their lips touched gently. Clutch looked into her eyes and saw infinite softness and something that he now joyously perceived for the first time. They both closed their eyes and gradually deepened their kiss. And as Clutch tremulously held Cover Girl as he had long dreamed of holding her and felt her wondrous arms holding him close over the hospital bed rail, a powerful, radiant, pulsating thought ran through his mind.  
  
She loves me  
  
She loves me  
  
She loves me  
  
And at that moment, Clutch believed in his heart for the first time that dreams really do come true…  
  
The soul of Scarlett had now seen all of this with her own eyes.  
  
"Are you beginning to see the pattern here? First, your father, then Snake Eyes, now Clutch and Cover Girl."  
  
The angel Clara said this to Scarlett as they stood at the far end of the bed, watching Clutch and Cover Girl share their kiss of true love.  
  
"I don't know about that," Scarlett said, a little skeptical. "I'm sure they would have gotten together eventually without my doing anything. It doesn't seem like I really had anything to do with it."  
  
All the same, Scarlett did admit her fascination with the romance that had just unfolded before her eyes. Was it really possible that she had helped such a beautiful thing come about?  
  
The hospital room with Clutch and Cover Girl gradually faded out of view, and the scene now transferred back to the Pit. And Scarlett saw that she was no longer in a hospital room in 1993. Now she was in the G.I. JOE headquarters, and the year was 1985. Scarlett and Clara now saw the 1985 Scarlett and Grunt together, going over some business and being interrupted by the arrival of two new Joes, Ripcord and Lady Jaye.  
  
"Hold it right there, you two," Scarlett pointed at the two newcomers, "you just wandered into a restricted installation, and you're in more trouble than you want to know about! You better have some healthy ID!"  
  
"My ID's pretty healthy," Lady Jaye said in an equally confrontational tone, putting her hands on her hips and facing off with Scarlett.  
  
"Care to see it?" Lady Jaye said.  
  
"ASAP."  
  
"I just changed my mind."  
  
"Why you little—" Scarlett burst out indignantly, before Ripcord broke in, explaining that Lady Jaye could get a little "uppity" every now and then.  
  
"Uppity?" Lady Jaye scoffed. "I just don't like this tawdry redhead's attitude, that's all!"  
  
Scarlett's eyes opened wide with even more indignation. Why, she was ready to strangle this impetuous upstart, she was so incredibly pissed!  
  
"TAWDRY?"  
  
As the ghost of Scarlett stood by with her guardian angel, she knew what was coming. To tell the truth, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to relive the whole thing, as there were many moments of mutual animosity between her and Lady Jaye. But there was no turning back now.  
  
A new story would be told… 


	7. Lady Jaye

Alone in the gymnasium, Scarlett and Jinx sparred together. Jinx had just recently joined the G.I. JOE team, and Scarlett had been intrigued with the woman upon first meeting her…  
  
Snake Eyes approached Scarlett with Jinx at his side. He affectionately put an arm around her shoulders, and Scarlett raised her eyebrows. She had never seen this young, slender, Japanese woman before. What was going on here?  
  
Snake Eyes signed to Scarlett, "I want you to meet the new team member. This is Jinx. She was part of the same ninja clan that I trained with, years ago. In fact, she's a cousin of Tommy."  
  
When Jinx was eight years old, Snake Eyes had come to Japan to take up Tommy Arashikage's offer to have him join the "family business." Now, more than ten years later, Jinx had decided to join Snake Eyes in G.I. JOE. Jinx's mother extracted a promise from Snake Eyes that he would watch over her. She was like a sister to him.  
  
Scarlett smiled, knowing that she had no cause for jealousy. She knew at that moment that she and Jinx would get along famously.  
  
Now, they practiced their kicks and blocks on one another, wearing their pads.  
  
"So what's this I've been hearing about Lady Jaye and Flint?" Jinx asked. She had not been in G.I. JOE long enough to get to know all the juicy gossip floating around headquarters. This Flint / Lady Jaye thing was still relatively new to Jinx.  
  
"Are they together, or not?"  
  
"Well," Scarlett said, "it's pretty clear that they like each other, but won't admit it…"  
  
"What do you think about it, Scarlett?"  
  
"Personally, I think it's a match made in heaven. They're so alike. They're both so vain and cocky."  
  
"You and Lady Jaye don't get along much, do you?"  
  
"Not yet, at least," said Scarlett with a grin. It was a pity, especially considering there were only four active female members on the team. "But I'm sure I can think of something to win her over. She's my 'project.'"  
  
* * *  
  
Some months later, all of the on-duty Joes crowded around a television as it broadcast the latest in world news.  
  
"In the eastern European country of Borovia," the news anchor announced, "three American commandos have been arrested by the authorities…"  
  
The faces of Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick appeared on the screen, and everyone fell silent, disturbed by the news. No one was more shaken by the news than Snake Eyes as he sat, glued to his seat, watching the TV. Scarlett sat behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. She knew how much Stalker meant to Snake Eyes. They had been buddies long ago in Vietnam. It was Stalker who had helped Hawk recruit Snake Eyes to the G.I. JOE team. Now, Stalker was about to spend the rest of his life languishing in a Borovian gulag with Snow Job and Quick Kick.  
  
"Hey Hawk," Roadblock said as the general walked into the room. "When we gonna go in and break out Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick?"  
  
"I just got off the phone with the Department of Defense," Hawk said grimly, "there is to be no rescue operation. The three Joes have been disavowed. Anyone who attempts to defy orders will be disavowed as well."  
  
* * *  
  
"Listen," Flint said to Lady Jaye as they shared their lunch together in the mess hall, "I've got something I want to talk to you about."  
  
"Oh really?" Lady Jaye said. She wondered what this could be. Was Flint going to try to get fresh with her again? She found his persistent advances annoying, yet endearing in a way. He did have his good qualities, she had to admit. Lady Jaye still had not made up her mind whether she loved him or not. She decided it wouldn't hurt anyway to keep him hanging and frustrated, since he obviously wasn't going anywhere.  
  
At a nearby table, Clutch found Cover Girl eating alone.  
  
"Hey," Clutch said, sitting down next to her, "what's happening, babe?"  
  
Cover Girl rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Hi, Clutch," she said, as if reluctant to acknowledge his presence.  
  
"Hey, why the long face? You really ought to smile more often," Clutch said.  
  
"Oh, I smile plenty," Cover Girl said dryly. "I just save my frowns for you."  
  
Cover Girl smiled at Clutch ironically. Clutch grinned, unfazed. "At least you're saving SOMETHING for me," he remarked.  
  
Lady Jaye smiled as she watched the two from the corner of her eye. In a way, Clutch and Cover Girl almost reminded her of herself and Flint. They were constantly at war with each other, but Lady Jaye had a persistent feeling that those two, Clutch and Cover Girl, were drawn to each other in some strange, subtle way that she did not understand. They would never admit having feelings for each other. But Clutch, in particular—well, if Lady Jaye didn't know better, she would have bet money that Clutch actually, deep down, liked Cover Girl. She wouldn't be surprised if those two ended up together someday. They sure made a cute pair… opposites attract…  
  
"Hello, earth to Lady Jaye?" Flint said, waving his hands in front of Lady Jaye's eyes, as if looking for a sign of life. Lady Jaye was brought out of her reverie.  
  
"Uh, um, sorry, what were you saying?" Lady Jaye put on a sweet smile for Flint.  
  
"I was saying, I'd like to stop by your quarters after we get off duty and talk to you about something. I can't talk about it here."  
  
Flint looked around the room, implying to Lady Jaye that he did not want the others to hear what he had to say.  
  
Oh, so this was how it was, Lady Jaye thought to herself. Flint wanted to be alone with her! In her own room! This was kind of exciting.  
  
"Why, sure, Flint," Lady Jaye said. "I'll see you after we get off work. Stop by around 18:00 hours."  
  
* * *  
  
Later that evening, Scarlett found herself walking down toward Lady Jaye's quarters. She had never visited Lady Jaye at her quarters, a point that she regretted a little.  
  
Scarlett actually found herself regretting that she had not made more of an effort to befriend and get to know Lady Jaye. Sure, they had gotten off to a rough start, with Lady Jaye calling her "tawdry" to her face. Scarlett had gotten her revenge a week later, when she had sparred in hand to hand combat with Lady Jaye in the gymnasium, with half a dozen Joe team members watching, and had defeated her rather easily. The fact was that, with the exception of Snake Eyes, Scarlett was simply the best. All her life, Lady Jaye had grown up accustomed to being an overachiever. Lady Jaye was smarter and tougher than the girls she had grown up with, and she had reached a point in her life where she could no longer settle for being anything less than excellent. She was used to being the best of her peers, and to tell the truth, she had become more than a little proud of herself. But when Lady Jaye lay on the mat, soundly trounced by Scarlett in front of her teammates, it was almost more than she could bear. She was not used to being outdone, and her pride was injured. It was all she could do to stop herself from bursting into tears. She quite detested this outspoken redhead who acted like she ran the outfit, and who was so popular and well liked among the team. What the hell did this Scarlett have that she didn't have? Good looks? Check. Brains? Check. Talent? Yup. Everything that Scarlett had, Lady Jaye had too. So what the hell was the deal with Scarlett, anyway?  
  
"Had enough?" Scarlett said, reaching a hand to help Lady Jaye to her feet. "Or are you hungry for more?"  
  
"You got lucky, honey," Lady Jaye said with a determined scowl. "You're going DOWN."  
  
Within minutes, Lady Jaye had been bested again in hand to hand combat, and as she lay dazed on the mat, she considered the list of attributes that she was using to compare herself with Scarlett.  
  
She's got better martial arts skills, Lady Jaye thought resentfully to herself. Damn.  
  
Now, Scarlett found herself standing outside of Lady Jaye's quarters. She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but she heard voices from within. Scarlett paused. It sounded like Flint, talking with Lady Jaye. I guess this must be a bad time, Scarlett thought to herself. She briefly considered staying to eavesdrop on their conversation. After all, she loved gossip as much as the next person. She herself had been the subject of gossip when she and Snake Eyes had gotten together. Now it was her turn to gather, collect, and distribute the gossip.  
  
As she was standing there outside, debating whether or not to knock and ask Lady Jaye if she wanted to hang out sometime, maybe get a drink and talk, Scarlett's ears pricked up at the sound of her own name.  
  
"…look at Scarlett and Snake Eyes," Flint said to Lady Jaye, inside Lady Jaye's quarters. "Even they're not doing anything, and they're two of the most hardcore people on the team. Look at Roadblock, Gung-Ho, Leatherneck, Clutch, Breaker, Duke. All these guys. None of them are lifting a finger to stop what's going on. We can do this, Lady Jaye."  
  
Lady Jaye was annoyed. All afternoon, she thought Flint wanted to have a talk about their relationship, but as it turned out, what he really wanted to talk about was Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick. Sure, it sucked that these three guys were going to rot in jail, but the way she saw it, there wasn't much she could do about it. But Flint didn't see it that way.  
  
"You and I can be the ones to go in and get our buddies out of there. We're G.I. JOE, Lady Jaye. We're the best of the best. No one screws with us. We've got the skills for it too. You're the expert at covert operations. You know a whole ton of languages, you're an expert at disguise, tracking, and evasion."  
  
"And you?" Lady Jaye prompted.  
  
"Me?" Flint said. "I'm an expert at kicking commie ass."  
  
Lady Jaye threw up her hands. "Well, then, I guess there should be no problem. Between my covert operations skills and your talent for being a macho, macho man, we'll sneak into Borovia, rescue our friends, and come back before anyone realizes we're even gone."  
  
"Exacto-mundo," Flint said. "Couldn't have said it better myself."  
  
"You crazy son of a bitch!" Lady Jaye cried, moving in closer to Flint and shoving a finger in his face. "What you're talking about is a violation of international law. Even if we manage, by some miracle, not to get ourselves killed, we'll still be in a world of shit. Have you ever thought about that, smart guy?"  
  
"Yes I have!" Flint said, raising his voice. "I've thought about it, and I've decided that the need outweighs the risk. These are our friends. You never leave your buddies behind. Never! Don't you care about these people?"  
  
"Well yeah, sure I care," Lady Jaye said.  
  
"Then I think it's fair to say," Flint said, "that if you care enough about someone, you'll move heaven and earth for them. You'll do anything for them, even if it means your life or your career."  
  
Lady Jaye looked Flint in the eye. It was clear he was talking about more than just Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick. Somehow, in his weird way, Flint was showing Lady Jaye that he cared about others. He was demonstrating his devotion and passion.  
  
"All these things I have said, I could be saying to you," Flint seemed to be saying to her. "It would be more than mere words. I would move heaven and earth for you, if you would let me."  
  
Flint was bent on doing something crazy. Well, Lady Jaye thought, I might as well make sure he doesn't get himself killed.  
  
"What have you got in mind?" Lady Jaye asked.  
  
"We can slip away while we're on leave…"  
  
Outside the door, Scarlett mentally figured out whether or not hers and Snake Eyes' leaves overlapped with Flint's and Lady Jaye's. They did. And as she considered the situation which now confronted her, Scarlett smiled. She knew what to do.  
  
Scarlett knocked on the door. Within seconds, the door opened, and Lady Jaye peered out. She looked at Scarlett with surprise.  
  
"Scarlett!" Lady Jaye said. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Hi, Lady Jaye," Scarlett said with a shy smile, "I know you and I haven't exactly hit it off these last couple of years. I just hope we can be friends."  
  
Lady Jaye was a little stunned. It wasn't every day that she found Scarlett at her doorstep, professing a wish for friendship with her. She was quite taken back and did not know how to respond at first.  
  
"Well," Lady Jaye fumbled around, "I appreciate that, Scarlett."  
  
The two of them shook hands.  
  
"I came here to ask you something," Scarlett said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, I noticed our leaves are all covering similar dates. Snake Eyes and I are planning to spend a weekend in Grenada. Would you like to come?"  
  
Lady Jaye and Flint exchanged a look.  
  
"Wow, Scarlett," Lady Jaye said, "It sounds wonderful—"  
  
"Come on, hang out in the Caribbean with us," Scarlett said, "it'll be fun. Sun and surf."  
  
Lady Jaye glanced sheepishly at Flint. Scarlett seemed so interested in spending time with her that she didn't want to disappoint her. Lady Jaye felt almost obliged to meet Scarlett halfway.  
  
"You know what," Lady Jaye said, "We'd love to go."  
  
Lady Jaye turned to Flint. "Right?"  
  
"Of course," Flint said, a little reluctantly.  
  
* * *  
  
While Snake Eyes and Scarlett lounged on the beach, soaking up the sun, Lady Jaye and Flint played in the waters of the Grenada beach.  
  
"Woo hoo!" Lady Jaye whooped, emerging from a long dive underwater. "Isn't this great?"  
  
Flint scowled. He was in a bad mood, especially since Scarlett had gotten in the way of his daring plan, and Lady Jaye had allowed it to happen.  
  
"Come on, lighten up, will you?"  
  
Lady Jaye splashed water on Flint, drenching him as he stood in waist high water. Flint shook his head for a moment and wiped the salty seawater from his eyes. It wasn't long before he began fighting back, and soon, the two of them were having an enormous water fight.  
  
"They seem to be having a good time," Scarlett said as she watched them from the beach, wearing a bathing suit. She looked over to Snake Eyes, whose attention was engaged by his portable television. He was watching the news from Borovia.  
  
"Come on, Snake Eyes," Scarlett whispered as Lady Jaye and Flint approached, "we're supposed to be on leave, remember?"  
  
But as she and Snake Eyes both knew, this was no mere vacation. Soon, they would leave the beach, and their plan would be set into motion…  
  
"Take it easy, Snake Eyes," Flint said, "there's nothing you can do for them. They knew the risks when they went in, and now they're paying the consequences."  
  
Scarlett knew Flint was trying to get a rise out of Snake Eyes, who had been very quiet ever since news came of Stalker's capture in Borovia.  
  
Wearing his latex mask, Snake Eyes frowned at Flint.  
  
"Funny how that mask gets all expressive…" Flint said.  
  
"I think you should let Snake Eyes sort this out for himself," Scarlett said. "He and Stalker go back a long way."  
  
Lady Jaye and Flint stood around uncomfortably, as Snake Eyes resumed watching the televsion.  
  
* * *  
  
"Excuse me," a portly black man with a mustache and wearing sunglasses said to the four Joes as they returned to their hotel.  
  
"Yes?" Scarlett said, knowing that this was the Blind Master, the man they had been waiting for.  
  
"I'm blind," the Blind Master said, "and I'm lost. I need to get to the airfield. Can you help show me the way?"  
  
"I'll show you the way, sir," Flint said, moving up to the Blind Master and offering his arm.  
  
But the Blind Master paid Flint no heed, instead hooking arms with Snake Eyes. Scarlett moved to the other side of the Blind Master. She looked back at Flint and Lady Jaye.  
  
"Go on, we'll meet you back at the hotel," Scarlett said.  
  
"Let's take a shortcut through this grassy field," the Blind Master suggested, as Snake Eyes and Scarlett led him away.  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye walked for a few moments in silence, both of them wondering what to make of this strange blind man. Suddenly Flint froze.  
  
"They're walking through a mine field!" Flint realized, turning his head in the direction of Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and the Blind Master.  
  
At that moment, an explosion barely fifty yards away knocked them both off their feet. Lady Jaye got up and began running toward the field, but Flint tackled her before she could reach the area where Snake Eyes and Scarlett had last been seen.  
  
"We don't know how many more of those are out there…"  
  
* * *  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye sat down to dinner that night in the hotel restaurant. Flint was in an especially dour mood. There could be no thought of rescuing Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick now. Not with Snake Eyes and Scarlett both dead.  
  
"If only I'd remembered sooner," Flint said. "It's my fault they're gone."  
  
"You can't blame yourself," Lady Jaye said in a soothing voice. "We both know it was an accident."  
  
They ate their meals in silence, both of them wondering what they were going to tell Hawk and the others.  
  
But as Flint and Lady Jaye both found out, Snake Eyes and Scarlett had not been killed by that mine blast in Grenada. They had faked their deaths, and with the help of the Blind Master, they had escaped from Grenada, slipped into Borovia, and rescued Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick with the help of Storm Shadow. Once again, all was right in G.I. JOE. The Joes' long lost buddies were returning, safe and sound.  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye stood face to face with Scarlett and Snake Eyes, no one saying a word. Flint was scowling. Scarlett smiled sheepishly, while Lady Jaye couldn't help grinning as she considered the trouble Scarlett and Snake Eyes had gone through for their sake.  
  
"You could have let us in on it, you know!" Flint finally burst out as they made their way back to the Pit. "You didn't have to make fools of us by pretending to get blown up by a land mine!"  
  
Lady Jaye saved Scarlett the trouble of responding by punching Flint in the face, knocking him to the ground.  
  
"Ah, shit," Flint said, rubbing his sore cheekbone.  
  
"Can't you see they did this so you and I wouldn't be implicated? You talk about caring about others. Don't you realize that they care about us as much as—as—"  
  
"You do?" Flint said, finishing Lady Jaye's sentence for her.  
  
Lady Jaye smiled, and she and Flint embraced. Scarlett smiled as she led Snake Eyes away.  
  
"Come on, pal, let's let them have their moment alone," Scarlett said to Snake Eyes, who seemed a little baffled by what had just transpired. One moment Flint was pissed off at him, and the next, he was hugging Lady Jaye?  
  
"What would I do without you," Flint said to Lady Jaye as he held her close.  
  
"I don't know, you tell me," Lady Jaye said.  
  
"I love you," Flint said, surprising himself with the conviction in his voice.  
  
Lady Jaye responded by tightening her embrace. "I love you," she whispered.  
  
By now, they were the only ones who had not yet returned to the depths of the G.I. JOE base.  
  
"How are we going to make this work?" Lady Jaye wondered.  
  
"What do you mean," Flint said.  
  
"You and me, together. Isn't that sort of against the rules?"  
  
"What Hawk and Duke don't know can't hurt us," Flint said. "Anyway, didn't you say your specialty was 'covert operations?'"  
  
They both shared a chuckle as they walked back into the Pit. Flint draped an arm around Lady Jaye's shoulders as they went back in. 


	8. Wedding Bells

On a beautiful spring day in 1996, two people named Alison Hart-Burnett and Dashiell Faireborn married. The ceremony was held in a cathedral in Maryland, and many of the old members of G.I. JOE showed up to witness the extraordinary occasion.  
  
When the minister announced the two of them "husband and wife," Flint lifted back the thin veil that half-concealed the face of his beloved, and he smiled in contentment.  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes had a close view of Flint and Lady Jaye as they exchanged vows. This marriage was inevitable. It was the logical conclusion to the relationship between Flint and Lady Jaye. They hadn't always gotten along at first. Lady Jaye had resisted Flint's advances for many months before letting him into her heart. They had sustained their love through all the hard and difficult times. Their relationship had been kept low key for years, in order to keep up appearances of complying with the rules of fraternization. Now that G.I. JOE was disbanded and done with, they were free to be together, to love each other freely, openly, and without boundaries. It just seemed to Scarlett as she pondered the long history between the newlyweds that Flint and Lady Jaye were simply two people who were meant to be together.  
  
Scarlett closed her eyes as the minister said, "You may now kiss the bride."  
  
For a brief moment, Scarlett felt the diamond engagement ring on her own finger and imagined that it was her up on the alter, exchanging vows of commitment and devotion with the man whom she now sat next to. Opening her eyes, Scarlett saw Flint take Lady Jaye into his arms and kiss her gently and lovingly. She took Snake Eyes' hand and squeezed it. Snake Eyes squeezed her hand in response. As applause and cheers erupted everywhere in the cathedral, Scarlett turned to look behind her. A few rows back, she saw Clutch and Cover Girl, sitting next to each other, exchange a brief but meaningful look. Scarlett had a pretty good idea what kind of wistful and romantic thoughts swam through their minds. Clutch and Cover Girl had stayed together after G.I. JOE, and it was clear that they were very much in love.  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye headed out the church amidst loud cheers. It was time for the reception, one that promised to be the mother of all G.I. JOE parties.  
  
"Oh yeah," Shipwreck said into a microphone before downing an entire glass of his margarita. The music started up, and Shipwreck, by his own insistence, was now playing the role of lead singer for the wedding band. The drummer, keyboard player, and electric guitarist were outside musicians hired by Flint, but Rock 'N Roll was playing the bass guitar and loving it.  
  
"All right dudes. Let's play some Madonna!" Shipwreck hollered to the band. Rock 'N Roll rolled his eyes, wondering what new embarrassment Shipwreck would subject himself to.  
  
As Lady Jaye and Flint danced together, laughing and enjoying themselves along with everyone else, Shipwreck began singing. While Shipwreck proved capable of carrying a tune, his exaggerated vocal stylings brought many an amused chuckle from the reception crowd. It didn't help that he was a little tipsy from his margarita.  
  
"This is for all you lovers out there. Especially you, Flint and Lady Jaye," Shipwreck prefaced, before breaking into an impassioned rendering of "Crazy for You."  
  
Swaying room as the music starts  
  
Strangers making the most of the dark  
  
Two by two their bodies become one  
  
"Tell me, why did we ever let Shipwreck sing at our wedding?" Lady Jaye asked Flint.  
  
"Because it keeps him away from the booze, at least for a while?" Flint suggested.  
  
Lady Jaye smiled as she leaned in closer, holding her husband tight.  
  
I see you through the smoky air  
  
Can't you feel the weight of my stare  
  
You're so close but still a world away  
  
Among the other couples dancing on the same floor with Lady Jaye and Flint were Scarlett and Snake Eyes, as well as Cover Girl and Clutch. Scarlett smiled as she saw Cover Girl slow dancing with Clutch. She wouldn't be surprised to see them getting married someday.  
  
What I'm dying to say is that I'm crazy for you  
  
Touch me once and you know it's true  
  
I never wanted anyone like this,  
  
It's so brand new  
  
You feel it in my kiss  
  
I'm crazy for you  
  
"Soon you and I will be in their place," Scarlett said to Snake Eyes, glancing over in Lady Jaye's direction. Lady Jaye was still dancing with Flint.  
  
Scarlett looked into Snake Eyes' eyes. The emotions swirling through them both hardly needed words. It was one of the many instances in which Snake Eyes did not need a voice to tell Scarlett how he felt. He only needed to communicate with her by the fire burning in his eyes.  
  
A fire that burned for her and her alone.  
  
"Won't it be wonderful?" Scarlett said sweetly.  
  
* * *  
  
The year was 1997, a year that Scarlett would never forget. It was three weeks before the wedding between her and Snake Eyes. For months, Scarlett and Snake Eyes had planned their joyous union. The wedding would be a small affair, unlike the big party that Flint and Lady Jaye had thrown. Scarlett would invite her family, with the exception of her sister Siobhan. When Scarlett had been in a coma after being shot by the Baroness, Siobhan had ordered the withdrawal of her life support and then gotten a court order to prevent Snake Eyes from being at her side. Scarlett had not forgiven her for that cruelty. A select few members of the Joe team would be invited as well, including Hawk, Jinx, Cover Girl, Clutch, Rock 'N Roll, Wild Bill, Roadblock, Stalker, Flint, and Lady Jaye. These were some of her most cherished friends in G.I. JOE.  
  
Anticipation and excitement was running high as preparations were made for the blessed date. Everything was laid out and planned to perfection. Stalker was set to be the best man. Cover Girl was to be the maid of honor. And Roadblock had vowed to whip up the ultimate wedding feast, the likes of which no one had ever seen or tasted. The wedding would take place in a church in Atlanta. In preparation for the event, Scarlett and Snake Eyes were temporarily staying with Scarlett's father at their old, familiar home.  
  
That morning, three weeks before the day, Scarlett woke up early. It was another morning, no different from any other. Scarlett and Snake Eyes were planning to go out for breakfast together. Then Scarlett would get together with Cover Girl, and the two of them would embark on their search for the perfect wedding dress, while Snake Eyes would meet with Stalker.  
  
After washing up and getting dressed, Scarlett knocked on Snake Eyes' door.  
  
"Hey, are you up?"  
  
Scarlett waited for a few moments. She heard no movement from the other side of the door.  
  
"I'm coming in, if that's okay," Scarlett said as she opened the door.  
  
To Scarlett's surprise, she did not see Snake Eyes in his room. Nor did Scarlett see any of Snake Eyes' belongings. To all appearances, it looked as if Snake Eyes had simply packed up and left without so much as saying good-bye. There was no trace of him anywhere in the house.  
  
"What the hell?" Scarlett said under her breath. It wasn't like this for Snake Eyes to get up and leave her like this, without at least telling her that he was doing so, or telling her where he would be going.  
  
Scarlett was home alone. Her father had gone out for the morning. She decided to eat a quick breakfast by herself and go out to meet Cover Girl, who was in Atlanta for the weekend.  
  
"Shana," Cover Girl said, greeting Scarlett. They had agreed to meet at a mall.  
  
The two friends embraced.  
  
"Hey," Cover Girl said, releasing Scarlett and looking into her eyes, "is something wrong?"  
  
"He's… gone," Scarlett said, her lips trembling.  
  
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"  
  
"He packed his bags in the middle of the night and took off. He didn't even say good-bye. I don't know where he's gone."  
  
"Don't tell me the wedding's off," Cover Girl said incredulously.  
  
"I don't know what to do," Scarlett said. She was really struggling with her thoughts and emotions.  
  
"You have no idea where he could be?"  
  
"Well," Scarlett said thoughtfully, "if he's really ditching me, then I guess it's possible he simply decided to go back to his cabin in the High Sierras."  
  
"No way."  
  
Scarlett shrugged. The two of them had now taken a seat on a bench near the mall's center courtyard.  
  
"Listen," Cover Girl said. "Let's give him a few days. See what happens. Okay?"  
  
Scarlett felt tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Hey, hey," Cover Girl said, digging into her pocket and offering Scarlett a tissue, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. We'll work through this together, okay?"  
  
Scarlett turned to Cover Girl and put her arms around her. She began crying into Cover Girl's shoulder. Cover Girl put her arms around Scarlett and rubbed her shoulders gently.  
  
* * *  
  
But Snake Eyes did not return that day. He did not return the day after, or the following day. An entire week passed with no word from Snake Eyes, and Scarlett came to the grim and unhappy conclusion that the love of her life had jilted her three weeks short of their wedding.  
  
The wedding was cancelled. Scarlett said only that she and Snake Eyes had decided to postpone the wedding indefinitely. She told few people the truth. Only her father, her brothers, Stalker, Roadblock, Jinx, Cover Girl, Clutch, Hawk, Lady Jaye, and Flint knew the full extent of what had happened. There would be no wedding, ever. That was how Scarlett understood the situation, and that was what she told her closest friends.  
  
"I always thought we were meant to be together," Scarlett said to her father as the two of them sat on the porch of their house in the darkness of the night.  
  
"Let it all out," Patrick O'Hara said.  
  
"I just wanted the same kinds of things any normal person wants," Scarlett went on. "You know: love, family, children, a good career. Most of all, I just wanted someone to share my life with, in good times and bad. I really thought he was the one."  
  
Patrick was silent for a while.  
  
"You can still have all the things you dreamed of," he said. "You're still young."  
  
"I know, but I'm already in my mid-thirties," Scarlett said. "I invested so much of my life in him. I gave fifteen years of my life, with no regrets. I don't regret the time I spent with him. I stayed by his side through it all. I loved him, dad. I just don't understand. How could he break my heart like this? How?"  
  
Patrick put a comforting arm around his daughter's shoulders.  
  
"I don't know," Patrick said in a soothing voice. "But I believe everything happens for a reason. We don't understand why these things have happened, but one day we'll be able to step back and see the pattern to our lives. And we'll understand. It won't take the hurt away, but we'll understand. I've been asking myself the same question, why was the woman I loved taken from me?"  
  
"Why do you think mom was taken from us?"  
  
"I still don't know," Patrick answered, "but here you are, sharing your heartbreak with me. And here I am, able to understand how you're feeling, the meaning of love and loss. It's because I've lost someone close to me that I can treasure you the way that I do. What if my experience allows me to be your one true solace at this very moment?"  
  
Father and daughter exchanged looks with one another. Scarlett leaned in closer to her father, not saying a word as the two of them gazed at the starlit sky. 


	9. Never Been Born

At first, Scarlett did not want to believe it. She could not believe it. But the reality of Snake Eyes' departure gradually sank in, and she resolved to forget him. No Snake Eyes, no G.I. JOE. The pillars of her life were stripped from her, and a new life had begun for her. Scarlett fell back on her martial arts expertise and took to teaching courses at various universities throughout the southeastern United States. It was a good life. Good enough, she supposed.  
  
Scarlett was as beautiful as ever. Her rose was in full bloom, and the men she came in contact with never failed to notice her. Scarlett's fellow instructors tried to win her over. Her male students tried ceaselessly to impress her; many even openly flirted with her. At the bars and clubs, random men made passes at Scarlett. But Scarlett was unmoved by them all. Every suitor left disappointed. As much as she hoped to meet someone special, Scarlett never allowed anyone to come close to her. She avoided relationships that became too personal, yet she secretly yearned for one such relationship of trust and love. True intimacy seemed beyond her reach.  
  
The memory of Snake Eyes haunted Scarlett's dreams. She spent long nights tossing and turning, trying in vain for an hour or more to fall asleep. The image of Snake Eyes persisted in her mind's eye. She asked herself, what did I do wrong? At times, Scarlett blamed herself. Surely there must have been something she could have done—had she been insensitive to Snake Eyes' needs? She was convinced that she must have failed Snake Eyes in some way. She longed for a second chance to show him that she loved him. If she could just close her eyes for a few seconds, it seemed to Scarlett as she lay in bed that she could hear a rustle of leaves outside… a hint of movement. Thinking that Snake Eyes had returned to her, Scarlett would open her eyes wide, throw off her bed covers, and put her senses on full alert. But it was nothing.  
  
Four long years passed, and Scarlett remained alone and lonely. She had a recurring fantasy that, as she returned home, she would come home to a family that loved her. There would be beautiful children to take up in her arms and greet in happiness at the end of a long day, and a husband who would in turn take her up in his own arms, demonstrating only a fraction of his everlasting love. A family of her own. A husband and children for Scarlett to shower her unselfish devotion upon. Scarlett was all too happy to give up everything within herself if it meant the happiness of another. But it was just that, a dream. There was no loving family of her own. No one greeted her at her apartment when she returned home at the end of the day.  
  
"When do I get to experience this kind of intimacy?" Scarlett asked Cover Girl, who was now married to Clutch, and was expecting a child. Sometimes, Cover Girl and Clutch would visit Scarlett. They saw her loneliness and how much she wanted a change in her life.  
  
"When do I get to find someone? Sometimes it feels like there's someone out there for everyone except for me," Scarlett said.  
  
Cover Girl touched Scarlett's hand.  
  
"You'll find someone," she said reassuringly.  
  
In her darkest moments, Scarlett felt as if she had somehow been cheated out of her destiny. And she knew who had cheated her—it was that cold, heartless rat bastard, Snake Eyes. She gave him the best years of her youth, and he left her behind at the altar. Try as she might, Scarlett could not let go of the memory of their time together, and all the hopes that had been crushed on that day in 1997. Years of melancholy and loneliness made her deeply bitter with Snake Eyes and with life. Snake Eyes never wrote or visited, and Scarlett never tried to track him down and contact him. With each passing year, her cheerful disposition and good humor seemed to be drained out of her, little by little, until nothing remained but anger and darkness.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Scarlett," a voice said on the other end.  
  
"Excuse me?" Scarlett said, not recognizing the voice right away. She had not been addressed by her codename for a long time, and this was a bit of a surprise.  
  
"It's Hawk."  
  
"Hawk?" Scarlett said, wondering what this could mean. She knew intuitively that the phone call could mean only one thing. Cobra had returned, and Hawk was calling her to ask for her help.  
  
"You need my help," Scarlett said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
A long silence.  
  
"How are you, Scarlett?"  
  
"I'm fine," Scarlett.  
  
"We'll be bringing back as many of our veterans as we can."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Stalker is working on getting in touch with Snake Eyes."  
  
Scarlett knew this was coming. She said nothing.  
  
"Listen, are you sure you're okay with this?"  
  
"Never been better," Scarlett said tersely.  
  
* * *  
  
And so the old team was reunited once again. Sitting together in the conference room in a military base in Virginia, it seemed to everyone that seven years had evaporated. It was as if the team had never been disbanded. Many of the old principals had returned, including Hawk, Stalker, Shipwreck, Lady Jaye, Flint, Roadblock, Lifeline, Mainframe, Rock 'N Roll, and Snake Eyes. Hawk informed everyone that Cobra Commander and his henchmen had returned to the United States and were up to something. Intelligence reports indicated that Cobra had insinuated itself into a small New Jersey town. The small town façade concealed a heavy military buildup and the beginning of a new conspiracy.  
  
"Looks like Cobra is up to their old tricks again," Flint said.  
  
"We're going to take a team there and storm the area by force," Hawk said. "We'll put an end to this once and for all, starting with this town. What I need from you is an answer. Are you in or out?"  
  
One by one, the old Joes committed themselves to their new mission. Hawk was pleased but not surprised. He expected no less from his loyal, old warriors. Gradually, each of the team members filed out of the room, eager to catch up on seven years. Everyone left the conference room except for Scarlett and Snake Eyes, who had some catching up of their own to do.  
  
The two stood near the door, tensely looking at each other in silence. Scarlett had said very little during General Hawk's briefing, only opening her mouth to say that she wanted to rejoin the team, along with the others. Now she glared at her old fiance, her expression dour, her heart hardened and unforgiving.  
  
"You left me behind," Scarlett said in a level voice, maintaining her hostile stare at Snake Eyes. "Do I get an explanation?"  
  
Snake Eyes bowed his head for a few seconds, before starting to say something in sign language. It was some self-centered nonsense about him being sorry, but he didn't feel right and he couldn't go through with the marriage—  
  
Scarlett angrily turned away from Snake Eyes and shut her eyes. She folded her arms.  
  
"That is such—such bullshit," she cried.  
  
Scarlett spun around to face him and pointed a finger close to his face.  
  
"Is that how you treat people who love you? What the hell kind of a human being are you? I was ready to share the rest of my life with you. Nothing could have been more 'right.' Four years, and this is the best you can do? Give me your sorry excuses?"  
  
Snake Eyes looked at Scarlett for a few moments, saying nothing. Finally, he made a few more signs. It had something to do with him being unable to deal with good times.  
  
"Maybe I'm afraid," Snake Eyes said, "I'm afraid of happiness."  
  
Scarlett slapped Snake Eyes hard on the face. Snake Eyes did nothing to avoid the hit. He merely stood there impassively and took it.  
  
"I wish I could break your heart," Scarlett spat out harshly, "for making me care about you all those years."  
  
Scarlett stormed out of the room, leaving Snake Eyes alone with his ghosts.  
  
* * *  
  
"We're cut off!" Flint cried amidst the chaos of the battle.  
  
Dusk was falling over the small New Jersey town as an intense battle raged throughout the streets. Flint, Hawk, Snake Eyes, Rock 'N Roll, and Scarlett were cut off from the rest of their group. Elsewhere in the town, the sounds of bullets flying and mortar exploding filled the air.  
  
The G.I. JOE team had encountered stiffer resistance than anticipated. It appeared that Cobra Commander and his top lieutenants had managed to escape, but the peons who had been left behind were determined to fight the invaders to the death.  
  
One of the new Joe recruits, a Special Forces man named Silvestri, had taken several bullets to the chest, and he lay dying in Scarlett's arms. Scarlett shut her eyes as a grenade exploded not far from her, and she ducked instinctively. A large number of enemy troops were advancing on their position down the street. The cut off Joes were trapped at a street corner, and they were using parked and abandoned cars as cover.  
  
More gunfire. Scarlett winced. Why did she ever volunteer for this shit, she wondered.  
  
Scarlett didn't have to think about that question for more than a few seconds as Silvestri breathed his last and expired. She knew why she had returned to duty. The fact was that she simply didn't care anymore whether she survived or not. If she made it, fine. If she didn't… well, it wasn't as if she had much to live for, anyway, so who cared?  
  
In a snap, Scarlett made a dash for a nearby car. The driver's door was slightly open, as the driver had up and ditched his car as soon as the fighting had started.  
  
"Scarlett," Flint shouted, "what the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Cover her, goddamnit!" Hawk ordered.  
  
As Hawk, Flint, Snake Eyes, and Rock 'N Roll opened fire on the advancing enemy, Scarlett managed to cover the distance between herself and the nearby car. For a few seconds, she had exposed herself to enemy fire, and a bullet pierced her shoulder. Scarlett cried in pain. Disregarding the pain, she threw open the door and jumped inside. The key was still in the ignition. Scarlett turned on the engine and floored the gas pedal.  
  
The car roared to life as it sped toward the advancing enemy. Scarlett ignored the bullets that came her way. Bullets pierced the windshield, and Scarlett zigzagged wildly, hoping to live just long enough to finish her objective. The enemy was a matter of yards away. The entire scene shifted wildly before her eyes. Scarlett yanked the steering wheel hard right, and as she did so, she pointed her Uzi out the window and fired blindly. A bullet grazed Scarlett's temple, and she jerked her head in response. The car was out of control now as it jumped the curb and crashed into one of the buildings lining the street.  
  
"Let's go, go, go!!!" Hawk shouted, urging his men on. Hawk led the way as he, Flint, Rock 'N Roll, and Snake Eyes, who carried Silvestri, left their position of cover and took advantage of Scarlett's reckless driving to break out of their entrapment.  
  
Half of the enemy soldiers had fallen, and the rest had fallen back for the moment.  
  
"Scarlett," Flint said in horror as he and Snake Eyes approached the crashed car. The front end of the car was smashed, and Scarlett lay against the steering wheel, motionless.  
  
Hawk barked orders into his radio as Flint and Snake Eyes gingerly attempted to extricate a bloodied Scarlett from the vehicle.  
  
"Stalker," Hawk yelled, "We're in trouble here. Do you copy?"  
  
"I'm coming toward you right now," Stalker responded.  
  
Flint and Snake Eyes lay Scarlett on the pavement. She looked like she could die any moment.  
  
"I don't think we can carry her. She needs to be flown out of here immediately, or she'll die," Flint said.  
  
"Lift Ticket," Hawk said into his radio, "I need a med evac immediately. Scarlett is down, do you read me? Scarlett's down!"  
  
Scarlett opened her eyes and saw Flint and Snake Eyes looking down at her. They looked so concerned. Was this serious? Was she about to die? Dying really wasn't all that bad, she decided.  
  
It's okay, Scarlett tried to say.  
  
No sound came from her mouth. Only blood oozed down from her lips.  
  
Flint put a hand to her mouth. "Don't try to speak. We'll have you out of here. You're gonna make it, you hear me? You're gonna make it…"  
  
* * *  
  
"So," Scarlett said to Clara, her guardian angel, "that brings us to the present day, doesn't it?"  
  
The two of them stood together in an empty hospital room. It was the same hospital to which Snake Eyes and Flint had brought her after Lift Ticket and Lifeline had flown in with a chopper and removed her from the battle scene. It was the exact same room in the same critical care wing of the hospital.  
  
Clara nodded silently.  
  
"Do you still think you made no difference in people's lives, after all that I've shown you?"  
  
"Well," Scarlett answered, "okay, so maybe I did help some people. Maybe they would even be sorry to see me die. But they didn't need me to do all that. It could just have easily been someone else. There's a million people being born in this world today that could do the same things that I've done in my life. I'm nothing special."  
  
"But what's this? Where is everyone? Where's me?"  
  
Scarlett turned a full circle, finding not a single human being present.  
  
"You've gotten your wish now," Clara said. "You've never been born. You don't exist."  
  
"If that's true, how can I still be here talking to you?"  
  
"Shana," Clara said, "every moment in life is a decision. Every life is the sum total of a million decisions and events that could have easily gone down a different path. We know everything. We know what would have happened if Hitler had died in World War I, or what would have happened if JFK had not been assassinated. We know what the world would be like if you had never been born. This is what I'm now showing you. I'm showing you a world in which you do not exist. You're not in that bed, and there are no concerned G.I. JOE teammates in this room. You never participated in that battle in New Jersey."  
  
Scarlett could think of nothing to say. She was speechless.  
  
"Let me show you…" the angel said as the hospital room faded into darkness. 


	10. Intruder

Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the G.I. JOE base, located in Washington, D.C., a lone woman walked down the quiet corridors. The base looked like a war zone. Scarlett could see bullet holes in the walls and on the floor. Empty ammo shells were everywhere. Lights had been shot out and boxes of equipment had been overturned. Scarlett looked down and gasped at the sight of blood on the floor.  
  
Further down the hall, Scarlett saw an open door, and she could hear sounds coming from the other end. It sounded like a wounded man crying out in agony.  
  
"What happened here?" Scarlett asked out loud. She looked around her and realized that Clara was not with her.  
  
"Clara?" Scarlett called out.  
  
"Hold it right there!" someone shouted.  
  
Scarlett froze. The voice sounded awfully familiar. With a jolt, Scarlett realized that she was hearing the voice of Snake Eyes.  
  
Two men emerged from the shadows of the dark corridor and approached Scarlett. Both of them had their rifles trained on her head.  
  
Scarlett blinked in confusion. What was going on here? What was her guardian angel pulling on her now?  
  
"Yeah, that's right, lady, I'm talking to you," Snake Eyes said, coming into the light. Snake Eyes could talk just like a normal person, and his face bore none of the scars from that long-ago chopper accident in the desert. This was not the Snake Eyes that Scarlett was used to seeing.  
  
Standing next to Snake Eyes was Low-Light, holding his sniper rifle.  
  
Scarlett looked to her left and right. As far as she could tell, there was no way Snake Eyes could be talking to anyone but her. How was this possible? The angel had taken Scarlett on a journey throughout her own life, and in this journey, Scarlett had been an unseen observer. What was the meaning of this? Now they could see and hear her?  
  
But I'm not supposed to exist, Scarlett mused.  
  
"Hey, you got a problem with your hearing? Don't move an inch, or we'll blow your pretty little head off," Low-Light said menacingly.  
  
Okay, here goes, Scarlett thought to herself.  
  
"Guys," Scarlett said, holding her hands out toward them, "It's me, Scarlett? What's the matter with you?"  
  
"Scarlett?" Low-Light said, turning to Snake Eyes, "who the hell is Scarlett?"  
  
"How can you say that?" Scarlett cried. "Come on, don't do this to me, guys. Low-Light, Snake Eyes!  
  
Don't you remember me?"  
  
"Listen, Miss Scarlett," Snake Eyes growled morosely, "I've never seen you before in my life."  
  
"Hey, she knows our names," Low-Light said. "What's up with that?"  
  
"I'll tell you what," Snake Eyes said, pulling out a radio. "She's a goddamn spy."  
  
Scarlett was horrified. This was not what she had expected from Clara at all. Low-Light was even more sullen than she remembered, and Snake Eyes… this was not the Snake Eyes she knew at all. No, this Snake Eyes was so mean and cold. What had happened to make him this way?  
  
"Commander Duke," Snake Eyes said, "We've caught ourselves an intruder."  
  
"Put her in the detention block for interrogation," Duke responded.  
  
Commander Duke? What was that all about?  
  
"Roger, Duke," Snake Eyes said.  
  
Snake Eyes turned to Scarlett and pointed his rifle at her again.  
  
"All right, princess, you're coming with me. Low-Light, stay here on guard."  
  
Low-Light nodded.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, "where's Hawk? Where's Flint? They're okay, aren't they?"  
  
Snake Eyes and Low-Light exchanged a glance. Who was this mysterious woman who seemed to know so much about them?  
  
"Flint," Snake Eyes said in a low voice, as if the very name was anathema, "there's a name I haven't heard around here in a long time."  
  
"Why, I haven't seen that damn fool in years," Low-Light said. "Can't say I blame him, after what he did to Lady Jaye…"  
  
"What?" Scarlett said in shock.  
  
"Son of a bitch," Snake Eyes said.  
  
"And Hawk…" Low-Light's voice trailed off.  
  
Snake Eyes shook his head sadly and grabbed Scarlett's arm to lead her away.  
  
"Enough of this chit chat," Snake Eyes said, "let's go."  
  
"Hey, take it easy," Scarlett said. She might have been speaking to a brick wall, the way Snake Eyes handled her.  
  
"I want to know what happened to Hawk, and Flint and Lady Jaye…" Scarlett protested.  
  
And I want to find out what happened to you, Snake Eyes. Scarlett left this last thought unsaid.  
  
Snake Eyes ignored her.  
  
Scarlett could see that several sections of the base had caved in. What remained was a maze of corridors, where only a few pathways led anywhere. Scarlett could tell that they were passing through the infirmary.  
  
Several wounded Joes were in the room. In one corner, Lifeline was performing some procedure on Rock 'N Roll that Scarlett could not make out. Rock 'N Roll was screaming in pain.  
  
"You're not going to die," Lifeline kept saying to Rock 'N Roll, over and over.  
  
As Snake Eyes and Scarlett approached the end of the infirmary, Scarlett noticed two body bags lying on gurneys.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, "who's in those bags?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Snake Eyes said sarcastically.  
  
Scarlett was suddenly gripped by an intense desire to know the identity of the two dead men. She tore herself away from Snake Eyes and lunged for the nearest body bag, not more than ten feet away from her.  
  
"Hey!" Snake Eyes yelled as Scarlett yanked down the zipper of the bag, revealing the face of General Hawk.  
  
"Hawk," Scarlett felt her knees buckle, and she grabbed the edge of the gurney to support herself.  
  
"No," Scarlett said, "no, this can't be happening."  
  
Tears ran down Scarlett's face as she put a hand on Hawk's cold forehead. She felt Snake Eyes put a hand on her shoulder as he stood behind her.  
  
"What happened?" Scarlett said.  
  
"He was killed two days ago in that battle in New Jersey," Snake Eyes said grimly, "along with Stalker."  
  
The man in the other body bag. Both men killed. How could this have happened? Scarlett was at a loss. Were they really killed because she had not been there at the battle? Was this what would have happened if she had not been born and had never been part of G.I. JOE?  
  
"Stalker?" Scarlett choked out.  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Snake Eyes said. "I saw it happen with my own eyes. I was there. Not long afterward, Cobra tracked us down to our headquarters and stuck it to us."  
  
Snake Eyes took Scarlett's arm again, and he led her away. After a few minutes, they reached the detention block. Snake Eyes opened a cell door and shoved Scarlett inside.  
  
"Make yourself comfortable," Snake Eyes said, "you're going to be here a while."  
  
He shut the cell door. A loud clang echoed throughout the entire room. As far as Scarlett could tell, she was the only one in the brig. She looked around. Her cell had no windows and was completely bare. It had nothing but a steel bed, a toilet, and a wash basin. It was a regular prison cell.  
  
"Snake Eyes, wait," Scarlett called after Snake Eyes, who was walking toward the detention block exit.  
  
"I need to talk to you," Scarlett said.  
  
"I'll be back to bring your dinner," Snake Eyes said indifferently as he slammed the door behind him.  
  
"Snake Eyes!" Scarlett cried.  
  
Scarlett was completely alone. 


	11. The Road Not Taken

Cover Girl carefully sidestepped the piles of metallic debris lying on the floor as she made her way down the darkened hallway. At the end of the hallway was a door, and Cover Girl knocked.  
  
Low-Light answered.  
  
"Come in if you want," he said to her. "It should be pretty interesting. The interrogation is starting."  
  
Cover Girl walked inside the small room. Within, Duke and Low-Light had their attention turned toward a window, which was a one-way reflecting mirror. The window looked into another room, the interrogation room, where Snake Eyes was alone with Scarlett. Scarlett turned her head toward the window of the other room but could only see her own reflection.  
  
The voices of Snake Eyes and Scarlett came through to the other room, loud and clear.  
  
"We've checked you out."  
  
"What did you find?"  
  
"There's no record of you in existence. There is no Shana O'Hara from Atlanta."  
  
"That's right, there shouldn't be," Scarlett said, remembering the closely monitored phone call she had been allowed to make to her father's house, at her insistence.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Siobhan?"  
  
"Who is this?" Scarlett's sister said warily.  
  
"It's Shana."  
  
"Who's Shana?"  
  
For a long time, Scarlett had been in denial over the whole thing. She was unprepared to deal with the situation that the angel had handed to her. She existed in a world in which she had never been born, and it tortured her mind. Her own sister did not know her. Many Joes had been killed. And Snake Eyes could talk.  
  
What are you doing to me, Clara?  
  
Scarlett's mind called out to the angel, but no answer came.  
  
"Hello?" Siobhan said impatiently, on the verge of hanging up.  
  
"Wait!" Scarlett said. "I want to speak to Dad. Where's Patrick O'Hara?"  
  
"Dad?" Siobhan burst out angrily, all patience gone. "Dad's been dead for ten years."  
  
In that moment, as Scarlett absorbed the weight of those words, a series of images flooded into her mind. It was as if she was seeing memories through the eyes of her sister, and the memories felt like those of her own.  
  
What is the meaning of this?  
  
Then Scarlett understood. Clara was giving Scarlett a channel into Siobhan's own center of memory. In ten seconds, Scarlett rapidly processed a lifetime's worth of memories.  
  
Siobhan and her brothers all looked to their father, who now stood before Katherine's gravestone. He was devastated. The love of his life was gone. He had nothing left now but his children, but somehow it was not enough. Something was missing. Something, or someone.  
  
He died of a broken heart.  
  
Years passed by, with each passing season bringing Patrick closer and closer to his own end. His will to live was leaving him. He progressively slept less and ate less. His energy and motivation was in an irreversible decline. Scarlett could see Siobhan trying to save her father, trying to bring him back with visits to his physician. He had major depressive disorder, the doctor said. Take these antidepressants, the doctor said. And Patrick obediently took the drugs. Or did he?  
  
Unable to take anymore, Scarlett shut her eyes and hung up the phone.  
  
* * *  
  
"And you say you're a part of G.I. JOE?" Snake Eyes said.  
  
"Yes. My codename is Scarlett. Counterintelligence."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm Ghandi," Snake Eyes jeered.  
  
"So tell me, miss mystery woman," Snake Eyes said, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"  
  
"That's a little hard to explain."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"You won't understand."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that."  
  
Scarlett thought how best to present her situation.  
  
"Have you ever seen the movie, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE?"  
  
"Sure," Snake Eyes said. "Comes on every Christmas. Who hasn't seen it?"  
  
"You know how Jimmy Stewart gets shown what his town would be like without him?"  
  
"Are you telling me you're Jimmy Stewart?"  
  
"I come from a reality in which I'm a part of G.I. JOE. I'm being shown what G.I. JOE would be like if I'd never been born."  
  
"Ah, I see now," Snake Eyes said with an ironic grin.  
  
Suddenly, Snake Eyes leaned across the table and slapped Scarlett on the face.  
  
"Don't you bullshit me!" Snake Eyes yelled furiously.  
  
"The G.I. JOE I know isn't like this," Scarlett said, turning her head to indicate the surroundings. Her face stung from the slap delivered by Snake Eyes.  
  
"Oh, tell me about the G.I. JOE you know," Snake Eyes said sarcastically.  
  
"For one thing, Hawk and Stalker aren't supposed to be dead."  
  
"You saw the body bags."  
  
"Yes, I did. But it wasn't supposed to happen that way. It wasn't like that because…"  
  
…because I saved their lives…  
  
Scarlett paused.  
  
"Anything else you want to say?"  
  
"You're not like this."  
  
You're not this cruel…  
  
"Me?" Snake Eyes narrowed his eyes. "You don't know me."  
  
"I know all about you, Elias," Scarlett said softly.  
  
Snake Eyes froze in shock. No one in G.I. JOE knew his real name except Stalker. For this woman to know such a thing was nearly impossible. Scarlett knew this. She knew that Snake Eyes would only reveal his name to someone that he trusted. Someone he felt a deep sense of intimacy with. Someone he loved.  
  
"How do you know my name?"  
  
"Where I come from," Scarlett said, "you and I are together."  
  
"Together?"  
  
"We were going to marry at one point," Scarlett said.  
  
"What do you know," Snake Eyes said. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Although I admit you are kind of attractive."  
  
Scarlett's face reddened a little. The thought crossed her mind: had Snake Eyes fallen in love with anyone in this world?  
  
"Has there been anyone in your life, Snake Eyes?"  
  
"What?" Snake Eyes said defensively.  
  
"Someone special."  
  
For a moment, Scarlett could detect the conflict of emotions on Snake Eyes' face. There was some painful memory. Something terrible had happened to him.  
  
"No," Snake Eyes said, scowling bitterly, "Never."  
  
Scarlett tried to see into Snake Eyes' mind, hoping to probe the truth of his words. She wanted to peer into his life the same way she had seen what her sister had experienced. She wanted Clara to show her Snake Eyes' life and the depth of his emotions. But Clara showed Scarlett nothing. Scarlett drew a complete blank. That part of Snake Eyes was closed off to her, unless she could verbally dig more deeply into Snake Eyes' psyche. That was not likely; such a thing would make her the interrogator rather than the interrogated.  
  
"You said you knew about me," Snake Eyes said suspiciously. "So far you haven't told me anything except my name."  
  
"You were in Vietnam with Stalker and Storm Shadow," Scarlett continued, determined to convince Snake Eyes.  
  
Snake Eyes looked at Scarlett silently, his incredulity and suspicion growing by the second.  
  
"When you were in Vietnam, you carried a photo of your twin sister Terry in your wallet. You believed that as long as the photo was safe, no harm could come to you. It was your talisman. But on the day you came home from the war, your sister and parents were killed in a car crash. You were alone. Finally, you decided to go to Japan and train with Storm Shadow. Storm Shadow's real name was Tommy. You and Tommy were sword brothers. But something terrible happened in Japan. The Hard Master was assassinated, and Storm Shadow was forced to leave the clan. You came back and spent years alone in a cabin in the high Sierras. Then Hawk and Stalker came and brought you back."  
  
Snake Eyes trembled.  
  
"How are you doing this?"  
  
"You told me everything," Scarlett said. "I told you. You told me these things because you loved me. You shared your whole life with me. Nothing was hidden from me."  
  
"Anything else you want to reveal to me about myself?"  
  
"I don't know what happened to you after you joined G.I. JOE, because I wasn't there. But something was supposed to happen to you, something terrible."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"There was a chopper crash," Scarlett said. "You were on a mission over the desert in the Middle East, and there was a terrible accident. You lost your face and your voice."  
  
"Kiss my ass," Snake Eyes said, holding his hand to his unscathed visage, "I guess I got away with one, huh?"  
  
"You were on a mission to rescue George Strawhacker," Scarlett said. "Did something happen on that mission?"  
  
Snake Eyes looked at Scarlett evenly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Snake Eyes closed his eyes and said nothing. He was clearly remembering the events of that distant day.  
  
But suddenly, Scarlett was given the power to see everything through Snake Eyes' own memories. The angel was showing her what had happened.  
  
You want to know what happened that day, Clara's voice echoed in her mind. I'll show you what happened.  
  
* * *  
  
Four men sat in the chopper, watching the desert sands below as they flew overhead. Four men. Snake Eyes, Rock 'N Roll, Grunt, and Clutch. Clutch occupied the seat next to Snake Eyes, the same seat that Scarlett had sat in when she had been there that day.  
  
Clutch? What's Clutch doing there?  
  
So this is what would have happened if I hadn't been there. Clutch would have taken my place.  
  
"You're awful quiet," Clutch said to Snake Eyes, nudging him with an elbow. "Is there something you know about this mission that you're not telling us?"  
  
There was plenty that Clutch didn't know about this mission. The man they were rescuing was Terry's erstwhile fiance. The man Terry would have married if she hadn't been killed in that accident. Snake Eyes and Hawk both knew this, but they shared the information with no one. It was for Snake Eyes alone to ruminate and bitterly reflect upon.  
  
Snake Eyes said nothing, only giving Clutch a silent stare. He did not really like Clutch, who was a shameless chauvinist and not very pleasant to be around.  
  
"Sheesh," Clutch said.  
  
"Ease off," Rock 'N Roll said from the other end of the chopper bay. "He's always like that on his missions. You know it."  
  
"Yeah, and it never fails to freak me out," Clutch said.  
  
"Hey guys, we're flying kind of low, aren't we?" Grunt said. "I wonder if the big honchos saw fit to outfit our choppers with sand filters for the air intakes."  
  
At that moment, the chopper lurched violently as the engine stalled. Everyone was nearly thrown out of his seat. Snake Eyes looked over at the other chopper and saw they were having similar problems.  
  
"Shit, I guess not!" Grunt said in dismay.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Clutch cried.  
  
"We've got engine problems," the pilot yelled. "We're going down! You'll all have to ditch the chopper!"  
  
The chopper was falling, spinning as it went down. Rock 'N Roll and Grunt managed to hurl themselves out to safety. Snake Eyes was at the door when he remembered Clutch. He turned and saw Clutch trapped by the opposite door. The door had slammed shut on his web gear. Clutch was a little dazed from having banged his head against the door as it slammed shut.  
  
And then, for a moment, Snake Eyes hesitated. He wanted to go back and get Clutch out, but the other chopper was veering ever so near. What would happen if he went back and the other chopper, with its rotors still working, slammed into them? Snake Eyes was frozen in indecision. Was it worth it risking his neck for this asshole Clutch?  
  
Snake Eyes shook his head. What was he thinking? Of course he was going to go back and get him. You never left your buddies behind. Did Tommy leave him behind when he had been shot in Vietnam? How could he even think of punking out on his fellow soldier when he was most needed?  
  
"Hang on, I'll get you out of there," Snake Eyes yelled, starting back to Clutch's side of the chopper.  
  
The chopper shook again as it made another rotation over the sand, Snake Eyes felt himself being thrown backward.  
  
"No!" he cried as he realized he was being thrown out of the chopper.  
  
Snake Eyes flipped himself in midair, attempting to land on his feet as he came crashing down onto the desert sand. Grunting, Snake Eyes shook his gear loose and looked up, just in time to see the two choppers collide in the air, not far from his position. A plume of flame shot out through the open door from which Snake Eyes had just been thrown.  
  
Realization hit as Snake Eyes shielded his eyes from the brightness of the fire.  
  
"I would have been burned," Snake Eyes murmured as he continued watching the choppers go down.  
  
Snake Eyes could not shake the persistent, vague feeling that he somehow should have been on that chopper instead of safe on the ground. He was supposed to rescue his friend, but he had been thrown out by a freak chance. The thought came into the back of his mind that perhaps he had cheated death. He had cheated his own destiny. And with that thought, there came a sense of dread. Somewhere down the road, he would face the consequences. Although he had escaped fate today, fate had not forgotten him.  
  
Inside the chopper, Clutch shook himself to a fully aroused state and realized that he was the only one left in the chopper. The other three Joes had managed to escape. He realized the chopper was going to crash, and he had mere seconds to cut himself free and get the hell out.  
  
Clutch fumbled for his combat knife while he tugged helplessly against the caught web gear.  
  
"Son of a bitch," Clutch muttered. "Of all the lousy rotten things…"  
  
He feverishly sliced through the web gear straps in two swift and jagged strokes. Clutch, freed of his restraints, turned to look out the window on his side. He saw the other chopper's blades coming straight at him.  
  
"Shit!" Clutch cried in alarm. He tried to throw himself to the deck and avoid the huge burst of flame and shattered glass as the other chopper's rotors hit a fuel tank.  
  
At that moment, the chopper shook violently, and Clutch was thrown like a rag doll toward the forward end of the chopper. Something hard collided with Clutch's face as he tried to grab at something to brace himself for the final crash. In the confusion, Clutch couldn't tell what it was that hit him, but the pain was excruciating. He lost consciousness as the chopper went down.  
  
"Clutch!" Rock 'N Roll cried as he, Grunt, and Snake Eyes made their way to the burning chopper. Snake Eyes, ignoring the danger, climbed into the crashed chopper and emerged moments later carrying Clutch over his shoulders.  
  
Rock 'N Roll and Grunt both gasped in dismay. Clutch's face was covered in blood. There was an enormous laceration along the entire right side of Clutch's face, beginning at his forehead, sparing his eye, then continuing down to his jaw.  
  
"Jesus H. Christ," Grunt said as the three Joes gathered around Clutch, who lay unconscious on the sand.  
  
* * *  
  
From within the observation room, Cover Girl put a hand over her mouth as she heard Scarlett's reference to the mission over the desert. She felt tears well up in her eyes.  
  
Duke and Low-Light both looked at Cover Girl with concern.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay being here listening to this?" Duke said. "We didn't know she would bring that up."  
  
"I… I'm okay," Cover Girl said, wiping a tear from her eye. Low-Light patted her comfortingly on the shoulder.  
  
"It's just that it's still hard for me to be reminded of him," Cover Girl said tearfully. "Seems like the smallest things can just set me off."  
  
Duke, Low-Light, and Cover Girl watched Snake Eyes and Scarlett through the looking glass. Snake Eyes and Scarlett were staring at each other, neither of them speaking.  
  
"What are we going to do with her?" Low-Light asked Duke.  
  
"I don't know what to make of her," Duke said. "There really isn't anything we can do. She hasn't really done anything wrong. We have no concrete information on her. I imagine we'll eventually just end up letting her go. But I suspect she won't leave until she's ready. There's a reason why she's here, and I'd like to find out."  
  
Cover Girl turned to Duke.  
  
"Let me talk to her," she said.  
  
* * *  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since Snake Eyes does not have an official real name, I had to invent one. I was trying to avoid giving him a real name, but I felt it would give his scene with Scarlett more dramatic impact. I named him after the Willem Dafoe character in PLATOON. 


	12. Through the Eyes of Cover Girl

Author's Note: Here is a summary in case you forgot what's happened. In the present day, Scarlett lies in a hospital bed, on the brink of death, after nearly being killed in a car crash during a battle with Cobra. As she lies in bed, her guardian angel comes to show her key moments in her relationships with various people in Scarlett's life: her father, Snake Eyes, Clutch, Cover Girl, Lady Jaye, and Flint. We saw how Scarlett helped bring Clutch and Cover Girl together, how she stopped Lady Jaye and Flint from attempting to intervene and save Joes imprisoned in Borovia (storyline from #61-66 of the Marvel comic), how she fell in love with Snake Eyes, who left her behind (#27 Marvel, #1 Image), and how she saved the lives of Stalker and Hawk while nearly sacrificing her own. Now, at last, Scarlett is being shown what G.I. JOE would be like without her, and surprise, it's pretty dark and intense so far.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett seemed to have lost her sense of time. She no longer felt certain as to whether she was in the past or present, or whether she was experiencing an elaborate fantasy or a true alternate reality. She did not even know if she existed in the world anymore.  
  
But gradually, the tumultuous waves of time resolved into a faint set of images, sound, and sensation. Like a polaroid photo slowly developing on its own, the images flooding Scarlett's consciousness grew clearer.  
  
Now, Scarlett felt herself thrown once more back in time, sometime in the mid-1980's. She felt herself in the driver's seat of a Wolverine tank. The tank's canopy swiveled into position and a flood of rockets burst out, sending the target into a bright flare of nothingness.  
  
I'm seeing things through Cover Girl's eyes, Scarlett realized.  
  
Cover Girl jumped down from the tank as Hawk introduced her to Rock 'N Roll and Clutch.  
  
"That was an impressive show you put on there, Cover Girl," Hawk said, smiling as he gestured toward the remains of the practice target.  
  
Cover Girl ran a hand through her hair and smiled.  
  
"Pleased to meet you," Rock 'N Roll grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Hi, fellas," Cover Girl said buoyantly.  
  
The man standing next to him had a long, ugly scar running vertically down the left side of his face. He stared at Cover Girl morosely and said nothing. After a few seconds, Clutch turned and walked away indifferently.  
  
"What's with him?" Cover Girl said.  
  
"Uh, Clutch is pleased to meet you too," Rock 'N Roll said nervously.  
  
* * *  
  
Memories rushed through Cover Girl's mind like a flood, memories of missions she and Clutch had gone on together. Throughout that time, Clutch maintained the most unfriendly and uncaring attitude possible, while still keeping up a front of total professionalism. Once in a while, he turned in a snide sexist remark or two. Frankly, he was simply a repugnant personality. Yet Cover Girl believed that there was more to Clutch than this. He was a quiet person, a loner. Snake Eyes had told her the story of how Clutch had been in that horrible accident. When Snake Eyes told the story, it seemed to Cover Girl as if she detected a trace of guilt in his voice, as if he felt somehow responsible for Clutch's scars. Cover Girl decided that she would make Clutch her personal "project." Somehow, she would bring the real Clutch out of his angry and bitter shell, and she would discover what kind of person he really was. Her efforts met with frustratingly little success.  
  
It all came to a head one day when Clutch and Cover Girl found themselves alone in the motor pool, cleaning and doing some maintenance work on the JOE tanks.  
  
"Hand me that rag, will you?" Cover Girl said.  
  
Clutch put on a stone face as he tossed the rag at Cover Girl. The rag landed on Cover Girl's head and covered her face.  
  
"Thanks," Cover Girl said dryly. She noted that Clutch did not even so much as smile at the sight of Cover Girl with a rag on her head. Sheesh, she thought. Doesn't this guy have a sense of humor? How on earth did I end up stuck alone with this humorless turd?  
  
"You know, it's not much fun working with you," Cover Girl said, trying to get a rise out of her companion.  
  
"G.I. JOE isn't supposed to be fun," Clutch said tersely.  
  
"Don't you ever lighten up? When was the last time you tried smiling?"  
  
"You got a problem with me?" Clutch said.  
  
"Yeah, I have a problem with you. You're such a stick in the mud," Cover Girl said.  
  
Clutch gave Cover Girl a look of supreme annoyance.  
  
"You want a piece of me, bitch?" he said, standing up and brushing himself off.  
  
Cover Girl stood up and looked him in the eye. They stared at each other, standing a few feet from each other, ready to come to blows.  
  
"Just because you got hurt in that chopper accident, doesn't mean you have to be such a prick," Cover Girl retorted.  
  
Clutch shook with fury. Finally, after a few seconds, he waved his hand at her in cold dismissal.  
  
"Ah, forget it," Clutch said, turning away. "I don't fight little girls."  
  
That was the last straw for Cover Girl. Diving at Clutch, Cover Girl knocked him to the ground, and the two Joes rolled around on the floor, wrestling each other. Cover Girl and Clutch traded punches to the face and chest as they cursed at each other.  
  
"You bitch, I'm gonna give you one hell of a dirty licking!"  
  
"You won't feel so macho after I'm through kicking your ass!"  
  
They rolled around some more on the floor until the back of Cover Girl's head knocked against the wheel of a jeep. Cover Girl cried out in pain as Clutch lay on top of her, ready to sock her again in the face and show her who was boss.  
  
Cover Girl shut her eyes in anticipation of another blow, but no blow came. After a few seconds, she hesitantly opened her eyes and saw Clutch staring at her. He still had her pinned to the ground, with her head backed up against the jeep, and something happened for the first time. For the first time, Clutch became conscious of Cover Girl as a woman. He noted her beautiful face, a little bruised from his punches. He observed the way her red-brown hair flowed down past her shoulders. The way her breasts moved upward when she breathed heavily. The shape of her body, the curve of her hips and legs.  
  
What am I thinking? Am I crazy?  
  
Clutch shook his head as if to clear his mind, and he got off. He stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. Clutch offered his hand to Cover Girl and helped her up.  
  
"Sorry if I hurt you," Clutch muttered.  
  
Roadblock came into the motor pool, out of breath.  
  
"Roadblock!" Cover Girl said. "What's going on?"  
  
"Haven't you heard?" Roadblock said hurriedly. "Everyone's talking-"  
  
He stopped as he noticed the bruises on the faces of Clutch and Cover Girl.  
  
"What the hell is going on here with you two?" Roadblock said. "Watch too much pro wrestling on TV?"  
  
Clutch and Cover Girl shrugged, a little embarrassed by their childish fisticuffs.  
  
"It's Lady Jaye," Roadblock said, continuing. "She's been shot."  
  
* * *  
  
Cover Girl and Clutch walked with Roadblock into the waiting room of the military hospital, where Flint told the story of what had happened.  
  
"It was stupid of me," Flint said miserably. "Lady Jaye and I followed Snake Eyes and Jinx to Borovia to rescue Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick. Snake Eyes was so angry. He didn't want me or Lady Jaye to get involved, but once we were there, he had to accept our help. The four of us popped our buddies from prison, and we were nearing the border. That's when it happened."  
  
* * *  
  
A single gunshot sounded, and instantly, Lady Jaye crumpled to the ground. Flint turned and saw her fall.  
  
"Lady Jaye!"  
  
The bullet had pierced her back and come out through her chest. Lady Jaye lay face down in the grass as more bullets rained down on them.  
  
Lady Jaye could only look up at Flint with a dazed expression. Stalker ran back to their side and saw the enemy soldier who was sniping at them. It was the Borovian Sergeant Mosiev.  
  
"You son of a bitch," Stalker said as he lifted up his rifle, took aim, and fired.  
  
Stalker returned to Flint's side.  
  
"Come on, grab her and let's keep moving! We're almost there!" Stalker exhorted.  
  
Flint draped Lady Jaye's body around his neck and carried her onward. Lady Jaye was barely conscious. She could her the sounds of guns firing and men shouting. She heard the rush of water from the nearby river. The clouds in the sky whirled around her in a disorienting array of blue and gray, with a hint of violet. The colors swirled and danced before her eyes as she saw everything fade to black.  
  
* * *  
  
A few other Joes, including Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Stalker, were on hand to listen to Flint's grim tale.  
  
Snake Eyes said nothing, and his face was a mask of anger and anguish.  
  
The doctor came in.  
  
"Mr. Faireborn?" the doctor said.  
  
Flint looked up.  
  
"Her condition is stabilized," the doctor said. "You can come in to see her now."  
  
Flint nodded, and he got up along with the other Joes to visit Lady Jaye.  
  
Lady Jaye was asleep.  
  
"When she was shot, she said she couldn't feel her legs," Flint said to the doctor.  
  
The doctor nodded gravely.  
  
"Is she-" Flint said, afraid to hear the answer.  
  
"I'm afraid so," the doctor said. "Miss Hart-Burnett's spinal cord was severed at the T-4 vertebral level. She's paralyzed from the chest down."  
  
"No," Flint said, in great pain.  
  
Cover Girl shuddered in horror and bowed her head. Lady Jaye was paralyzed. Her career was over. She would never walk again. She would never bear children.  
  
"No!" Flint cried, his yells of anguish echoing in the room full of somber Joes. 


	13. Twists of Fate

As they watched the house across the street, Clutch and Cover Girl sat quietly in their car. Clutch sat in the driver's seat. He was not much for conversation, instead preferring to concentrate solely on the mission. They were using surveillance equipment to monitor an exchange being made between Cobra and a mysterious spy named Rouge.  
  
The others were in position. Snake Eyes, Jinx, Stalker, and Rock 'N Roll hung back a short distance further down the block, so as not to be seen by the enemy. Cover Girl alternated between watching Clutch and the events taking place across the street. She was nervous. It had been years now since the day they had first met. Even the fight they had engaged in was starting to feel like a distant memory. Clutch remained as moody as ever, but he was less mean to Cover Girl now. He was respectful toward her, but he remained emotionally aloof. It seemed to Cover Girl that her "project" had turned out not to be a success.  
  
In another time, another reality, things would have been much different. Clutch would have been openly in love with Cover Girl, and Cover Girl would have been on the verge of returning his feeling toward her. In another time, Cover Girl sat in the driver's seat, not Clutch, who now noted with suspicion the bright headlights headed slowly and deliberately toward them.  
  
In another time, Clutch would have been caught off his guard, and the two Joes would have been trapped in a drive-by shooting.  
  
In another time, Scarlett would have been a part of this world.  
  
But there are a million factors affecting the outcome of an event, one of those million being the presence of Scarlett, and as the other car bore down on them, an alarm went off in Clutch's mind. This time, Clutch perceived his danger a few split seconds earlier.  
  
"Out of the car," he hissed at Cover Girl, roughly shoving her toward the passenger door.  
  
"What the hell," Cover Girl protested as she felt for the door handle.  
  
"MOVE!" Clutch cried, pushing his teammate with greater urgency as the car neared them and automatic weapons were unleashed on their position.  
  
Cover Girl tumbled out of the car just in time, with Clutch right on her heels. They both grunted as Clutch landed on top of her.  
  
The other car came to a screeching halt, and the sound of doors opening and slamming shut was audible.  
  
Four enemies fired assault rifles into the car previously occupied by Clutch and Cover Girl, and the two Joes huddled together behind the car, desperate to find cover. They both fumbled for their pistols.  
  
The barrage of gunfire was followed by a period of silence. Clutch and Cover Girl heard footsteps approaching them from around the back of their perforated vehicle, and they both nodded at each other, exchanging a silent signal.  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, both Joes stood up and fired two shots each, dropping two of the four gunmen. The other two retreated back to their car for cover, not more than fifteen yards away.  
  
"I got one of those sons of bitches!" Clutch yelled.  
  
"I got me one too," Cover Girl said.  
  
"Let's get them!" Clutch cried, leading Cover Girl around the front of their car in an attempt to catch the remaining gunmen in a crossfire with the other Joes, who were no doubt on their way.  
  
The front door of the house belonging to the man called Rouge opened, and two armed Crimson Guardsmen emerged, ready to fire at anything that moved.  
  
Clutch turned his head, saw the danger, and realized his miscalculation.  
  
"No!" he cried as the Crimson Guards opened fire immediately. Clutch and Cover Girl were caught in the open, and there was only one thing for Clutch to do. He instinctively turned toward Cover Girl, tackled her to the ground before she could react, and shielded her with his body.  
  
Cover Girl felt Clutch's body shudder as multiple bullets tore into him. She couldn't move or see anything with Clutch lying right on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She did not see the Crimson Guards step out onto the street, ready to finish them off, nor did she see one of the Guardsmen get shot by Snake Eyes.  
  
The other Guardsman turned and ran, along with Tomax, Xamot, and Rouge. Cover Girl heard the sound of a car roaring to life and speeding away unmolested. Elsewhere, the remaining two gunmen from the first car were fighting for their lives against Snake Eyes, Jinx, Stalker, and Rock 'N Roll. It was a fight the two enemy soldiers were destined to lose. Within a few minutes the firing had stopped.  
  
Cover Girl gathered the strength to gently push Clutch off of her and roll him onto his back.  
  
Clutch moaned in pain and Cover Girl leaned close over him, calling out his name over and over. Cover Girl laid a hand on Clutch's chest and gasped as she looked down. Clutch's shirt was soaked in blood. He was dying.  
  
"Hey there," Clutch whispered weakly to Cover Girl.  
  
"You saved my life," Cover Girl said to Clutch, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know what to say."  
  
There were a million things she wanted to tell him.  
  
You were my "project." You were always so indifferent and cold toward me, but I tried to find your true self, Clutch. I wanted so much to know you, to learn what went on in that head of yours. I wanted a glimpse into your soul. I thought I had failed. But you saved my life. You gave your life so that I could live. Why, Clutch? Does this mean you cared about me, after all? Does this mean we could have been friends?  
  
What might have been between us?  
  
I will always wonder. Always.  
  
"Thank you," Cover Girl said to Clutch, leaving her thoughts forever unspoken.  
  
"Come closer," Clutch whispered weakly. "I have something I want to tell you."  
  
Cover Girl looked into Clutch's sad eyes as she leaned in closer, so close their faces nearly touched, so close that their lips nearly caressed each other-  
  
And then with a last effort, Clutch lifted his head off the ground. Their eyes closed, their lips met as they kissed, tentatively at first, and then passionately. Cover Girl put her hands on both sides of Clutch's face as she kissed him, losing herself in the moment, wishing that she could hold onto this moment and keep it alive in her heart, even as she felt Clutch slowly fade away. Cover Girl gently pulled back from the kiss and gently stroked Clutch's face. She paid no attention to the other Joes who stood behind her, keeping their distance, watching in stunned silence. Clutch's face was calm and composed, a picture of serenity and peace, at long last. Indifferent to the blood on Clutch's shirt, Cover Girl threw herself on top of his body as her own racked with sobs.  
  
* * *  
  
It felt like Clutch's death had happened so long ago, when in fact it had only been about a year. On leave, Cover Girl decided had decided to pay a visit to Flint and Lady Jaye, who were living together in Maryland.  
  
"There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about it," Cover Girl said to Lady Jaye as they sat together with Flint in the living room, drinking wine.  
  
"Honey," Lady Jaye said as she turned on her wheelchair and moved closer to Cover Girl, "I know how hard this is for you. You keep wondering what might have been. You think that if there was something I could have done, if I had made this decision or that decision or done things the least bit differently, my life might be completely different. But this is the life we chose. We knew we would be tested in ways we had never been challenged before. We knew the risk. We knew that something could happen to break our hearts. We don't always get the ending we hoped for. Instead, we only have what was handed to us. I guess some things just aren't meant to be."  
  
Lady Jaye stopped and looked down at her abdomen, contemplating the child she was destined never to bear.  
  
Flint frowned sadly as he watched his wife. He looked down at his watch.  
  
"Dinner's almost ready. I better go check on the oven," he said as he got up and walked out of the room.  
  
"He loves you so much," Cover Girl said.  
  
"I know," Lady Jaye gave her friend a bittersweet smile. "Dashiell treats me like a queen. Still, even now, I sometimes see him with that lost look in his eyes, and I wonder if he still sees what happened to me. I think he has never forgiven himself for what happened to me. But I forgive him."  
  
Cover Girl smiled.  
  
"It's enough for the both of us," Lady Jaye said.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett and Cover Girl faced each other from across the small table in the G.I. JOE interrogation room. From the other side of the one-way reflecting mirror, Duke, Snake Eyes, and Low-Light observed the proceedings silently. They were back in the present again, the present time of the reality in which Scarlett did not exist.  
  
Scarlett and Cover Girl looked into each other's eyes. They had been talking for a long time now, just the two of them.  
  
"You loved him," Scarlett said to Cover Girl.  
  
Cover Girl made no response.  
  
"Has there been anyone else in your life since then?" Scarlett asked.  
  
Even without Cover Girl telling her, Scarlett knew the answer was no. At least not yet. And what of Flint and Lady Jaye?  
  
"You said Flint and Lady Jaye were married," Scarlett said. "How are they now?"  
  
"They're fine, as fine as they could be in such circumstances," Cover Girl replied. "They have a child now."  
  
"A child?" Scarlett said, confused.  
  
"They adopted a little girl," Cover Girl said.  
  
We don't always get the ending we hoped for. Instead, we only get what was handed down to us. I guess some things just aren't meant to be.  
  
The words spoken by Lady Jaye, long ago, echoed in Scarlett's mind.  
  
"All of this happened because of me," Scarlett whispered.  
  
"Because you weren't here for the people who loved you most," a familiar voice said to Scarlett.  
  
Scarlett looked up and saw Clara standing behind Cover Girl, looking at her. No one else could see Clara, of course. She was known only to Scarlett.  
  
"I have one last thing to show you," Clara said to Scarlett.  
  
The door to the interrogation room opened, and Snake Eyes walked into the room.  
  
Cover Girl turned to Snake Eyes and nodded.  
  
"Come on, Scarlett," Snake Eyes said, "Time for you to go home."  
  
"Home?" Scarlett said numbly.  
  
"Come with me," Snake Eyes said to Scarlett, holding out his hand to her as he prepared to escort her off the base.  
  
"We're going to take a walk." 


	14. Journey's End

Scarlett and Snake Eyes spoke little as they ascended to ground level and made their way off the premises. Apparently, Snake Eyes and the Joes had decided that it was time for Scarlett to leave. Where were they taking her? Snake Eyes had said that it was time for Scarlett to go home, but Scarlett knew that she had no home in this world. After all, she did not really exist.  
  
As Scarlett and Snake Eyes walked through the base perimeter together, their surroundings instantaneously changed.  
  
This is it, Scarlett thought to herself. This is my last vision.  
  
It was later in the evening, and the night sky was dark and gloomy.  
  
Scarlett looked around her in amazement. She was in a completely different place, now. Now, she found herself standing in the rainy streets of Manhattan's lower east side. Lightning flashed overhead, followed by an enormous crack of thunder, causing Scarlett to shudder reflexively. She was soaked and miserable.  
  
But she was not alone. Just a few feet ahead of her, a cloaked man wearing a dark trench coat turned to look in her direction for just a brief moment. The man wore the white mask of a ninja.  
  
Scarlett suddenly recognized him. That white ninja mask. Could it be?  
  
Was this Storm Shadow?  
  
Storm Shadow turned on his heels and took off, once again. Seconds later, Scarlett watched Snake Eyes and Jinx take off after him, hot in pursuit. None of the ninjas showed any sign that they could even see Scarlett, much less recognize her.  
  
What was going on? What year was it?  
  
Somehow, Scarlett sensed that she would find out soon enough. The guardian angel seemed awfully fond of doling out information in small, indecipherable doses.  
  
Scarlett saw no other choice but to run after the three ninjas in an effort to keep up.  
  
Weaving their way through the numerous pedestrians walking the streets, splashing through rain puddles, and leaping over parked cars and trash bins, Snake Eyes and Jinx pursued their quarry to an outcome they knew not.  
  
* * *  
  
Snake Eyes and Jinx led the way toward the border of Borovia, followed by Stalker, Snow Job, Quick Kick, Flint, and Lady Jaye.  
  
They were moments away from escape, when it all seemed to fall apart. Flint's agonized cry alerted everyone that Lady Jaye had fallen. Snake Eyes, who was in the lead, turned and saw Lady Jaye on the ground. Jinx grabbed him to restrain him and prevent him from heading back to Lady Jaye's position.  
  
"Stalker's covering them," Jinx said. "We have to keep moving!"  
  
Throughout their long journey back to America, Jinx often looked at the face of her old friend, and the turmoil and anguish was plainly visible on Snake Eyes' face.  
  
* * *  
  
"He feels it should have been him," Storm Shadow said softly to Jinx. They sat together at the edge of a forest in the high Sierras, not far from the lonely cabin, where Snake Eyes was meditating alone.  
  
The three of them, Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes, and Jinx were spending some time alone at Snake Eyes' cabin. It had only been a few weeks since that fateful rescue mission in Borovia.  
  
"Why do you think so?" Jinx asked.  
  
"All his life, Snake Eyes has dodged one bullet after another," Storm Shadow. "He was shot in Vietnam and would have been killed, but I went back for him and got him out safely. When we were in Japan together, my uncle was assassinated in the very presence of Snake Eyes. The assassin had been trying to kill Snake Eyes in actuality, but my uncle, the Hard Master, had imitated the sound of Snake Eyes breathing, thus causing the assassin to err."  
  
Jinx nodded. She clearly remembered the day that Snake Eyes and she had said goodbye.  
  
* * *  
  
Jinx looked up at Snake Eyes. As Jinx was only ten years old, Snake Eyes seemed to her an imposing and untouchable figure, a mystery she could not penetrate.  
  
It was a cold, rainy night as Jinx called out for Snake Eyes and ran out to the street after him. He wore a trench coat over a suit and carried a suitcase and an umbrella. Snake Eyes was walking alone to the train station, where he would take the train to the airport and catch the first flight back to the United States.  
  
The Hard Master was dead. Storm Shadow had fled. The clan was in turmoil, and many of the leaders, including the Soft Master, predicted that the clan would soon be broken.  
  
Snake Eyes turned and saw the young Jinx run out to him. He smiled and extending his umbrella to cover both of them.  
  
"You'll catch cold," Snake Eyes admonished her.  
  
"I don't care," Jinx said, shivering from the cold. "Must you leave?"  
  
"Yes," Snake Eyes said sadly. "There is no longer a place for me here."  
  
"But where will you go?"  
  
"Someplace quiet," Snake Eyes said. "Someplace where I can find peace."  
  
"I wish you didn't have to go," Jinx said, trembling with emotion. She would miss this man who had told her all kinds of stories about his life in America, this man who had trained and played games with her. He had put up with all of her childish ways. Nothing bothered him. She admired that.  
  
"I'll miss you," Jinx said.  
  
"And I'll miss you, my sister," Snake Eyes said.  
  
"You should come to America one day," Snake Eyes suggested.  
  
"Yes," Jinx said, "I think I will, one day."  
  
Jinx stepped closer and put her arms around him. Snake Eyes, touched, dropped his suitcase and put an arm around her, comforting her as he prepared to say goodbye to the life he had grown to love.  
  
* * *  
  
Jinx and Storm Shadow pondered the past thoughtfully as they sat together in the high Sierras.  
  
"In the early days of G.I. JOE," Storm Shadow continued, "Snake Eyes was involved in a mission over the desert. A horrible accident occurred. Snake Eyes tried to save Clutch, but he was thrown out of the chopper before he could help him, and Clutch ended up with a huge scar on his face when the chopper crashed. Snake Eyes never forgave himself for that. He always felt that it should have been him in that chopper, not Clutch."  
  
"And now, with Lady Jaye getting shot." Jinx said.  
  
She understood everything now.  
  
"He feels like he's cheated fate all his life," Storm Shadow said. "And one day, the scales will tip the other way. Fate will decide that it's his turn to suffer, and he will have to pay the debt in full."  
  
It was a terrible way to live, Jinx reflected to herself. Always looking over your shoulder, afraid to take chances in life, afraid to let someone get too close to him. He was a dangerous man. People got hurt when they were around him.  
  
Her heart went out for him, and as Jinx sat with Storm Shadow, she felt nothing but compassion and caring for him.  
  
* * *  
  
Having abandoned the trench coat, Storm Shadow leapt up to grab a fire escape ladder on the side of an old brick apartment building.  
  
From a distance, Scarlett watched Storm Shadow fling himself onto the external fire escape staircase and hurl a pair of stars at Snake Eyes and Jinx, who both adroitly dodged and evaded them. None of the ninjas paid mind to the startled crowd of bystanders as the pursuit continued, with Snake Eyes and Jinx climbing up the stairs after Storm Shadow, who had disappeared onto the rooftop.  
  
* * *  
  
Snake Eyes looked solemnly at Jinx as he paced back and forth inside his cabin.  
  
It had been three years since the G.I. JOE team had disbanded and gone their separate ways. Snake Eyes had retired to the mountains. Although Jinx remained with the army, she found time to visit him as often as she could. Usually, their time together was pleasant and enjoyable. Snake Eyes was grateful for the companionship, while Jinx was happy to spend time with someone whom she had grown to admire very much.  
  
But this time, it was different. Snake Eyes was anxious and grim.  
  
"I've got a lead on Tommy," Snake Eyes said.  
  
Storm Shadow had been brainwashed by Cobra Commander into rejoining Cobra. At the time, Snake Eyes had gone on a personal mission to find him and bring him back into the fold, but he had failed. He could not do it alone.  
  
"Where?" Jinx said.  
  
"New York City," Snake Eyes said.  
  
Snake Eyes had a travel bag, into which he was in the process of stuffing some clothes and combat gear.  
  
There was an unspoken understanding between them. Jinx knew that this was a matter that Snake Eyes wanted to handle personally, without her help. But this time she would not let him.  
  
Jinx reached out and touched his hand.  
  
"I'll come with you," she said softly.  
  
"No," Snake Eyes said firmly. "I won't let you."  
  
"You can't do this alone," Jinx said. "I can help you. I know everything you know."  
  
Snake Eyes said nothing, closing his eyes. He trembled. His face bore an expression of fear and trepidation.  
  
"I'm no longer the child I used to be," Jinx said with a tender smile.  
  
Snake Eyes laughed. When he looked at Jinx, his face now bore an expression of concern.  
  
"If you got hurt, I could never forgive myself. You don't have to do this."  
  
"You forget," Jinx said, "he's my cousin. I have an interest in this too. I know you're afraid, Snake Eyes. You're afraid to let me get close to you. You're afraid to let me in. You don't want anyone else to suffer in your place. But I want you to understand that I would gladly give up my life for you. I would do it because I care about you, Snake Eyes."  
  
Jinx averted her eyes, and she trembled. She was no longer a child, but at this moment, she felt like that callow ten year old schoolgirl, once again.  
  
"I love you," Jinx said.  
  
Snake Eyes' face softened as he considered the woman standing before him. Jinx found the courage to look up into his eyes. Their faces drew nearer, and they kissed.  
  
"Jinx, if something should happen-" Snake Eyes said.  
  
"Shh," Jinx said as the two friends embraced. "We'll find him. Together, we will find him, and we'll bring him back."  
  
* * *  
  
Lightning flashed overhead again as Snake Eyes and Jinx crawled onto the roof, having just ascended the fire escape staircase. The roof of the large building had a number of tanning chairs as well as a barbeque grill. On the left side, there were large pipes and towers of electrical equipment. On the right was the roof exit that led back downstairs. Directly before them was a large stack of wooden crates. Storm Shadow was no where in sight.  
  
"He's still here," Snake Eyes said, tensing up as he unsheathed his sword. "I can feel it."  
  
Jinx held her own sword in readiness as she took one careful step after another, at Snake Eyes' side.  
  
Slowly, the two ninjas proceeded to the middle of the roof, their backs facing each other as their eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to find their target.  
  
Then, from out of the corner of her eye, Jinx saw an arrow shooting toward her from the direction of the wooden crates. Reacting instinctively, Jinx swiftly brought her sword up to deflect the arrow, slicing the arrow's shaft in two. The broken pieces of the arrow bounced harmlessly away from her.  
  
Almost at once, Storm Shadow leapt over the top of the crates and brought his sword down to bear on Snake Eyes. Jinx rushed to Snake Eyes' side, but Storm Shadow knocked her a few feet away with a punishing side kick to the abdomen. As Jinx lay on the ground, gasping for breath, Snake Eyes fought sword to sword with Storm Shadow. It was a furious duel. The steel blades flashed and gleamed in the cold moonlight as the rain continued to pour down.  
  
While Snake Eyes was fighting to disarm Storm Shadow, his opponent was fighting for the kill. Thus, Storm Shadow was the aggressor, and he was fearless as he angrily hacked and sliced with his katana blade. The brainwashing seemed to have given Storm Shadow the stamina of a madman, and with one powerful stroke, Storm Shadow knocked Snake Eyes' sword out of his hands. The sword landed a short distance away, but it seemed like a million miles now as Snake Eyes found himself cornered by Storm Shadow. Storm Shadow charged, ready to deliver the fatal blow.  
  
"No!" Jinx cried, charging between the two men. With her sword, Jinx parried the blow that was meant to kill Snake Eyes. As Snake Eyes recovered his sword and watched, waiting for a chance to jump back into the fight, he saw Storm Shadow gain the upper hand in the battle and skewer Jinx.  
  
Storm Shadow jumped backward, waiting for Snake Eyes to make his move.  
  
Snake Eyes cried out in anguish as he rushed to Jinx's side. Jinx lay on the ground, blood spreading over her chest. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. Everything that Snake Eyes had feared had come to pass. Jinx was dying, and he had been unable to stop it. It should have been him lying on the ground dying. But Jinx showed no sign of remorse or regret. She gave a faint smile as she slipped away.  
  
I love you, her eyes said to him.  
  
Then she was gone.  
  
Snake Eyes looked up with anger at Storm Shadow, who remained in place, waiting for him.  
  
"Do you know what you've done?" Snake Eyes shouted. "You've killed your own flesh and blood. I'll make you pay for what you've done!"  
  
With a cry of renewed vigor, Snake Eyes charged Storm Shadow. This time, Storm Shadow was no match for the furious onslaught of Snake Eyes. It was Snake Eyes who succeeded in knocking away Storm Shadow's sword, sending it tumbling over the roof and onto the alleyways below. Snake Eyes punched Storm Shadow in the face, causing him to stagger backward.  
  
Snake Eyes now had Storm Shadow cornered at the edge of the roof. He grabbed Storm Shadow's uniform and slammed him against the wall several times.  
  
"You don't even know what you've done, you monster," Snake Eyes shouted madly.  
  
Snake Eyes slammed Storm Shadow against the wall again. Storm Shadow was beginning to show signs of disorientation from the brutal beating he was now receiving.  
  
Snake Eyes was too angry for words now. He reared back and was ready to pummel Storm Shadow in the face yet again when something stopped him.  
  
It was a flash of recognition. Storm Shadow struggled to speak as Snake Eyes kept his grip on his collar.  
  
"Release me, brother," Storm Shadow gasped.  
  
Snake Eyes let go, and he stepped back.  
  
Storm Shadow staggered to his feet and put a hand on his tender head. He removed his mask. For several long seconds, he and Snake Eyes looked each other in the eye, face to face in the rain.  
  
Storm Shadow saw Jinx's body lying not more than ten yards behind Snake Eyes.  
  
"Is it true, what I have done?" he asked, as if emerging from a long dream.  
  
Snake Eyes nodded grimly.  
  
Storm Shadow gave a shout of great pain.  
  
"No!" he cried, turning his back on the sight. "My crime is great, Snake Eyes. My shame is too much for me to bear."  
  
"I'm sorry," Snake Eyes said. "I failed to stop you. I failed to bring you back in time."  
  
Storm Shadow shook his head as he remained standing, with his back turned to Snake Eyes and the fallen Jinx.  
  
"No," Storm Shadow said, "it is I who have failed. Years ago, I took a path of revenge and hatred, and now I have paid the price."  
  
Storm Shadow walked to the edge of the roof and prepared to climb back down the building.  
  
"Wait," Snake Eyes said, "where are you going?"  
  
"We must part ways," Storm Shadow said. "I must go out into the world and try to atone for what I have done. I am not worthy to be your brother."  
  
"You will always be my brother," Snake Eyes said.  
  
Snake Eyes bent down to pick up Jinx. She was calm and serene in death. And beautiful. Snake Eyes looked back to Storm Shadow. Perhaps one day, they would meet again.  
  
Storm Shadow waved in farewell and slipped over the roof's edge. With that, he was gone.  
  
And Snake Eyes was alone.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett trembled with emotion as she looked at Snake Eyes now. They were at the gates of the G.I. JOE perimeter. Beyond the gates lay the outside world, the world of which she knew nothing.  
  
Snake Eyes lifted his arm and gestured at the road and beyond to the unknown.  
  
"You're free now," Snake Eyes told her. "Where will you go?"  
  
At that moment, Scarlett lost her composure. She turned and embraced a stunned Snake Eyes, who could think of little else to do except put his arms around her in turn. Scarlett burst into tears.  
  
"Bring me back," she cried out wildly, heedless of the fact that what she said made no sense to Snake Eyes.  
  
"I want to live again!"  
  
The world faded away around her, and she soon found herself clutching thin air. Scarlett collapsed to the ground and held her head in her hands.  
  
"I want to live again."  
  
She looked up, and through her tears, she beheld the guardian angel Clara smiling down on her.  
  
The angel, robed in white, was enveloped in a blinding white light, and Scarlett shut her eyes against the bright and beautiful flare. When she opened her eyes again, Scarlett saw Clara's face begin to change. Gradually, the face dissolved into the face of-  
  
"Mama?" Scarlett whispered.  
  
The angel spoke.  
  
"Soon we'll be together," the angel said. "but not now."  
  
The image of Kathleen O'Hara began to fade away, and Scarlett reached out her arms in supplication.  
  
"Wait," Scarlett pleaded in vain, "come back!"  
  
The light began to blot out everything.  
  
"Mama!" Scarlett cried.  
  
* * *  
  
"Mama," Scarlett whispered as she gradually awoke.  
  
"She's speaking," a female voice said excitedly.  
  
Scarlett blinked as she surveyed her hospital room. For days, she had lain in this bed, recovering wounds received from the car crash. Scarlett beheld the smiling faces of Lady Jaye, Flint, Cover Girl, Clutch, Jinx, Stalker, and Hawk. But where was Snake Eyes?  
  
Hanging back toward the end of the room, Snake Eyes remained in place. He wore his mask, but if Scarlett could have seen his face at that moment, it would have born a smile.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that day, when everyone else had left, Cover Girl and Snake Eyes stayed behind to be with Scarlett a little while longer.  
  
"So everything's okay," Scarlett said in awe. "you're all alright."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Cover Girl said.  
  
Scarlett laughed weakly and nodded.  
  
"Did something happen to you while you were in that coma?" Cover Girl asked.  
  
Scarlett pondered her response to that question.  
  
"I was deciding," Scarlett said.  
  
"Deciding," Cover Girl repeated.  
  
"Deciding whether to stay or go," Scarlett said. "It was my choice. It could have gone either way."  
  
"What made you choose to live?"  
  
"I had a feeling," Scarlett said. "Something told me that I had a reason to live."  
  
"Of course you do," Cover Girl said.  
  
Scarlett looked at Snake Eyes, who was standing next to Cover Girl.  
  
"You know, Snake Eyes stayed by your side constantly while you were out," Cover Girl said. "He never left your side."  
  
Scarlett reached out her hand to Snake Eyes, and they clasped hands. It was a gesture of forgiveness and reconciliation. The beginning of a new life. Perhaps that was how Snake Eyes and Cover Girl would interpret it. But Scarlett knew better.  
  
The seeds of that new life had been planted in Scarlett, long before she dreamed of returning to life.  
  
The End. 


End file.
